


(if it's love) maybe we'll make it out alive

by frances_veritas, KayCeeCruz



Series: Assassin!Luke/Politician!Noah AU [2]
Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Angsty Schmoop, Lots of guns fights, M/M, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 10:51:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2729708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frances_veritas/pseuds/frances_veritas, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayCeeCruz/pseuds/KayCeeCruz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>AU. Seemingly against all odds, Luke and Noah have built a life together and found happiness despite the constant threat of danger that looms over their heads. But after a year of running, they know they can’t hide forever. Armed with the information they’ve gathered, it might just be enough power to strike and take down their most dangerous enemies. But it’s not going to be easy. Both are faced with hard decisions they need to make when they decided to leave the life they've ever known to be with each other. Comprises are struck and sacrifices have to be made. With the help of a few allies, reluctant best friends, and disgruntled exes, Luke and Noah fight to try and take back the lives they gave up and live the ones they have now. And they might just get that happily ever after.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Co-written with frances-veritas for NukeBigBang2012.
> 
> Character death! (not the boys). NOT BETA'ed. We didn't have time. So there are probably a ton of errors. Our bad. We're having someone look it over later though. :P Really, really shoddy as hell research. Action movie tropes and clichés, ahoy! Two OMCs that play pretty big parts. So I hope they're not too distracting. 
> 
> The Company in this story is in no way associated with the show Heroes. We just liked the name. :P Certain plot points borrowed from the show _Nikita_ with our ever loving GRATITUDE. Title taken from a Kris Allen song but song has actually nothing to do with the story. Again, we just liked the name. :D 
> 
> Time frame: Luke and Noah have been on that island for about a year so this story takes place almost directly from _And You Played It to the Beat_ , give or take a few months. So you definitely need to read that if this story has any chance of remotely making any sense to you. :D
> 
> There are also extended author's notes (WITH ALL THE THANKS) at the end! In case, you know, you're really interested (you should read them.)

_Prologue_

He stands at the edge of the grave, his shoes lining up where the grass has grown in and he scowls down at the ground. He can never quite look at the headstone. Not after that first time when he'd wanted to throw up from seeing the name etched across the surface. Some things felt real, no matter the actual fact. His hands are empty. He never brings anything.

"You come here often, Oliver?"

Reid rolls his eyes, sends a quick glare over his shoulder and turns back to stare down at the grass. The sky rumbles overhead and he tucks his jacket closer to his body, hopes it doesn't rain before he gets back to his car. He knew, the moment he'd heard the tread of shoes behind him, that he'd come to regret giving in to the need of being connected to someone, who for all intents and purposes, is supposed to be dead to him.

Casey Hughes gives him a headache on a good day.

He shifts to the left as Casey stops next to him, bends to deposit a dozen lilies at the base of the marble stone. Noah likes lilies.

They stand in silence, thunder rumbling over their heads and when the water starts to drip on his head, Casey pulls out a giant, blinding yellow umbrella, one that Reid recognizes and makes the edges of his mouth turn up and manages to cover them both.

"I wonder what it feels like where he is."

Reid averts his glance from Casey, taking in the surrounding, eyes looking for anything that isn't supposed to be there.

"Probably nice weather where Noah would go."

He has no idea why he said that. Maybe he needs to for his own mind's sake.

"At least they went together. That would have made him happy."

Reid's stomach recoils with jealousy. Stronger than he would have predicted it being after all this time. It doesn't merit a reaction because Casey should know better.

"You ever think he can hear you? Like, if you talked to him, left messages here, they'd reach him wherever he is."

This conversation is not supposed to happening.

"No. Dead people can't hear you, Casey."

Reid doesn't look at him but he can feel Casey glance at him every few seconds, knows he's getting ready to say something Reid isn't going to want to hear.

"Sometimes."

He turns, raises one eyebrow at Casey, and waits.

Casey clears his throat, flexes his hand on the handle of the umbrella and stares out into the distance. Reid follows the lines of his jaw and neck, remembers one just as familiar to him and then darts his eyes away.

"Sometimes it feels like he's still here."

Oh, so they are going to do this today.

He makes a noncommittal sound in response, digs the point of one shoe into the dampening earth beneath his feet, hides his hands in his pockets to stop from clenching them tightly.

"You feel the same way?"

Reid shrugs. "He isn't here."

Casey nods thoughtfully then moves closer, his voice dropping until it's barely above a whisper. "You ever going to tell me, Reid?"

Reid's jaw tightens, makes him speak through clenched teeth. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He resists the urge to look around them, to clamp a hand over Casey's mouth and tell him to shut the hell up before he screws everything up. He manages to keep calm and looks at Casey directly in the eyes. "There's nothing for me to say."

He looks furious, lips thinning out as he snorts and steps away. "Somehow I feel like that's a lie. You have a lot to say, Reid. Always have." Casey narrows his eyes at the headstone and Reid thinks, for just one second, that's he's going to kick it. "Don't pretend you aren't pissed, man. Like you wouldn't have wanted to be the one with him."

It's a low blow and if Reid were some other kind of man, he would have flinched.

If Reid Oliver were a different type of man, he'd admit the fact that he missed Noah more on rainy days because the first time they'd met, Noah had come in from the rain, soaked and as cranky as Noah got.

The rain always makes him think of Noah.

But Reid isn't that type of man.

He gives Casey a sharp look, says slowly in case anyone else is listening, "If it were up to me, he wouldn't have gone away." He moves out from under the umbrella, the rain heavy enough to dampen his hair and his clothes immediately. "I do know one thing actually."

Casey freezes and glances at Reid warily. "What?

"I know that what Noah would want most for you is to let it go. You can't change what happened, you can't make any of it better. But you can make sure you live your life. As his best friend, maybe that should be your goal."

He doesn't wait for Casey to say anything, just trudges in the stinging rain to his car without glancing back and sits inside for a few moments to gather his thoughts, hits the steering wheel once, before starting it up and driving away.


	2. Part One

_Part 1_  
  
Zoe tries not to let the frustration show on her face as she walks through the deepest level of the building, smiling sweetly and nodding at the guards on duty. She stands in front of the elevator, presses her thumb against the digital screen and waits for clearance. It’s less than five seconds later before the doors open and she steps inside. The ride back up is only a few minutes but she’s getting antsy. Tonight is the first time in a long while it’s safe enough to open up a line to talk to Luke  _and_  Jim at the same time. And she’s eager to tell them the new information she’s gathered. But she was summoned earlier to her boss’s office and actually assigned paper duty to look up an old case in one of the vast basements at headquarters. She had tried not to grimace because really,  _paper duty_. She’s higher rank than  _that_. But she was one of the last people still there that had knowledge about the case so she hadn’t argued and tried to quickly locate the file.   
  
The elevator dings and she steps out, handing the file over to one of her boss’s assistants on desk duty tonight and turns to leave. She’s now running fifteen minutes later than the time she allowed herself and she’s going to have to hurry if she wants to make it. Because there’s no room for error in the time frame.   
  
“Fuck,” she swears. She might not have time to throw off anyone who might be following her. Hoping it’s safe, she takes the quickest route she knows and floors it.  
  
***  
  
It might not be the most capable of hideaways, but it’s worked for her the past year and a half and Zoe’s grateful. The little run down fort-sometimes-treehouse-if-you-squint she and Luke built when they were children is still standing pretty strong. It was their little secret place neither had visited in years until Zoe found it still existed, much to her relief. It’s located deep in some woods, miles away from The Company buildings, in the small city she and Luke had grown up in before they were old enough to start taking trips with other Grimaldis to headquarters to start  _training_.   
  
It’s been weathered down and beaten. Some of the wood completely worn through in a lot of places, but it’s the only safe haven nobody else knows about except her and Luke. And she’s been using it to make her calls, knowing her apartment is probably being monitored.   
  
She picks one of the floorboards loose to get to the phone stashed inside, presses number one, and hits send. She lets it ring twice before hanging up and then waits. And waits. And waits.   
  
After sixty-five years when in reality it was probably only a minute, her own phone rings and she answers with a curt, “Where the hell were you?”  
  
“Nice to finally hear from you too, ballerina.”  
  
“Oh, I like it when she gets fiesty.”  
  
“Shut up, Jim.”  
  
Zoe rolls her eyes. “Are you two finished being twelve? What kept you?”  
  
“Hey, wasn’t like we were late. And I had a bit of trouble, ah, finding some time to be alone.”  
  
Zoe sighs. “You mean, you had a hard time trying to throw Noah off because you still insist on not telling him everything, especially about leaving early.”   
  
Luke is silent and Jim hums noncommittally. And while they’re all connecting from three different places and she can’t see either of their faces, she knows Luke is frustrated and Jim might actually agree with her on this one.   
  
“I’m not trying to tell you what to do, Luke. I just think you at least need to tell him sooner rather than later.”   
  
“I know, okay? I’m going to. Can we stop wasting time now? You said you had some new intel?”   
  
Zoe nods even though they can’t see her. “A lot of our hunches about Zachary Grayson being involved deeper in The Company are true. Even though none of it is his fault. It goes back to his family.” Zoe explains the rest of what she found in the files. “But there are bits and pieces missing and I think it’s time we finally pay him a visit. See if he can fill them in.”   
  
“I think we can find a way to swing that into our plans when we leave early, right, Jim?”  
  
There’s a pause and Zoe tries to read the silence between the lines.   
  
“I don’t know, Luke. Trying to plan a way to see Grayson without being detected with the amount of time we have is going to take extra manpower. And to manipulate a schedule and make sure Grayson is where we want him to be is going to be difficult. Not to mention that Grayson doesn’t even know you’re  _alive_. I barely know a thing about the guy and he’s never met me, so I doubt I can win him over just with my stunningly good looks.”   
  
“Well, I know him. Not well, but I know him enough through Noah. We’ll make it work,” Luke says, his tone giving no room for argument.  
  
Jim sighs and Zoe feels for him. There is almost no getting through Luke once he’s made up his mind. And even though Zoe still has not met Mayer, she wonders how he does it, how he deals with it. She snorts to herself. Better him than her.   
  
“Yeah,” Jim agrees finally, “I’ll see what I can do on my end.”  
  
“Thanks, Jim.”   
  
And despite her annoyance, Zoe is glad for the small relief in her cousin’s voice. She clears her throat. “Well, since that’s been settled, I’m still going to need an exact day soon when we can actually meet to talk about the...other things we discovered.” She’s careful not to mention it out loud through the phone. Because even know she’s pretty confident their lines are secure, she doesn’t want to risk those words being a potential trigger.   
  
The black boxes. When Zoe and Luke were growing up, they would hear stories about these black boxes. But they were just that, stories. Nobody around them really knew if they existed or not. Because no way The Company would have all that information stored somewhere and risk being exposed. But as they grew older, the deeper they got involved, especially Luke, being the son of Damian Grimaldi, the more real some parts of the stories became.   
  
She still can’t believe that she and Luke were able to hunt down the knowledge about them, and even better, the possible places they are located and being stored. The boxes contain almost every single important information The Company has about every high profile case they’ve ever taken. As well as information about new recruits, plans on how to expand, and details on their operating system. There are six boxes that belong to six of the more powerful families The Company is basically built on. And each box is guarded by a Guardian, a more often than not, highly-trained and skilled agent.   
  
But they only need the one box. And it’s the one with Damian Grimaldi’s name on it.   
  
She listens to Luke and Jim start detailing out the plans more and hopes with all her heart that they all come out of this in one piece. And alive.   
  
***  
  
There’s a click of the door opening and a man enters, bows to him in deference before straightening up and coming close to where he’s standing.  
  
“Was your trip well?”  
  
The man nods. “Yes.”  
  
“And were you able to gather what you needed?”  
  
Another nod. “Yes, sir. Things are set to go into motion as soon as one of them makes the move that we’ll able to trace.”  
  
A long pause. “Good.”   
  
Damian continues to look over by the window, the view spectacular from where’s standing, but he’s not really seeing it. Because more than ever now, he knows what he must do.   
  
***  
Noah’s breathing pretty hard, his entire body is sore and he’s probably going to feel this for the next day or two but he doesn’t mind. Because it’s a good kind of pain. The kind you only get from when you’ve worked your body almost to its limit and you get that satisfying ache that settles inside your muscles and bones, knowing that your body can take it and is better for it.   
  
“Getting tired yet, baby?” Luke is smirking at him, hair matted together with sweat and he’s got to be as winded as Noah is right now but he doesn’t look it.  
  
“Cocky. Why not put your body where your mouth is?” Noah fires back.   
  
And they circle each other slowly before Noah feints to his left but Luke anticipates it and grabs him around his waist hard, and then his arms are being twisted around his back, Luke’s breath fanning across his neck.  
  
“What was it you were saying about cock?”   
  
Noah feels Luke’s hard length pressed up against him and he laughs shakily. “I thought we were supposed to be training, Grimaldi. This is not very professional.”   
  
Luke loosens his hold a little on Noah and moves closer. “Then stop looking so hot all shirtless while throwing around words like  _cocky_  and _body_  and  _mouth_.” He leans in, teeth grazing Noah’s ear.  
  
Noah takes advantage of Luke’s distraction and twists out of this grasp, turning around and sweeping a leg out, hitting Luke across the shins, knocking him off balance. Luke falls on the mat with an  _oof_  and Noah’s on top of him one big hand pinning both of Luke’s own over his head.  
  
“Gotcha.”   
  
Luke grins, arching up into Noah’s body. “I fail to see the downside of this.” And then he starts moving his hips.  
  
Noah’s eyes narrow. “This kind of distraction won’t do out there on the field, Luke.”   
  
“Yeah. Well, just remember to remain clothed at all times we are in danger and I’ll be fine.”   
  
Noah starts to laugh but it turns into a gasp when Luke breaks one arm free and hooks an ankle around Noah’s back and flips them over. When his world rights itself again he looks up to see the satisfied look on Luke’s face and the glint in his eyes.  
  
“Luke--”   
  
He’s cut off by Luke’s mouth, tongue licking its way inside, hips rocking steadily down against his own. Noah’s hands move to his waist and squeezes then parts his legs, opens his mouth easily underneath Luke’s.   
  
Luke hums in satisfaction and nips at the corner of his lips before dipping back inside and kissing him deeply. He’s sucking on his tongue and Noah’s trying to breathe, his fingers raking marks up and down Luke’s back and sliding beneath the waistband of his sweatpants, skimming the swell of his ass. Luke moans in approval and fits his hips better against Noah’s, rocking down harder, their cocks straining against each other’s.  
  
Then he’s pulling back and standing up and Noah starts to protest, but his breath gets stuck in his throat when Luke just shoves his pants and boxers down and then tugs them off completely before settling back against Noah. He starts kissing his way down Noah’s chest, nibbles on a collarbone, bites down on a nipple until Noah is squirming, fingers carding through Luke’s hair and pulling, urging him on.   
  
“Luke, come on.” And Noah is definitely  _not_  whining because Noah Mayer does not whine. But from the wicked expression on Luke’s face, he must have failed in that facade. He pulls Noah’s pants and underwear off all in one go before grinning down at him.   
  
“I’m sorry. I thought you wanted to keep training? I should probably stop right now and--”  
  
“--if you even as so much think about stopping I’m going to leave you to roast next time the local kids bury you in the sand while you are sleeping.” That startles a laugh out of Luke and Noah’s laughing too before Luke swipes his tongue across the head of Noah’s cock and his laughter turns into a groan.  
  
“That was no fun. I had sand in places I didn’t even think existed.”  
  
“Yeah,” Noah gasps out as Luke slowly sucks at the crown before moving to take him inside his mouth. “But I recall us having fun trying to clean it all out.”  
  
“Kinky.” And then Luke’s sucking earnestly now, his cheeks hollow and full of Noah’s cock. Luke’s fingers move to the sharp bones of Noah’s hips and presses down and Noah takes that as a cue to start thrusting slowly into Luke’s mouth.   
  
He feels his cock hit the back of Luke’s throat and Luke breathes through his nose, relaxes his jaw and takes Noah deeper. When he slides back up he licks at the slit, gathering the pre-come leaking from the head onto his tongue and Noah throws his head back and hits the padded floor beneath them with a dull thud. Logically, he knows that they’d probably be more comfortable doing this on their bed instead of on the dirty floor of their training room but he can’t bring himself to care at the moment. Especially when Luke’s mouth pops off his cock with an almost obscene sound before his tongue sneaks out to lick a long strip on the underside, teasing the large vein underneath.  
  
And then he’s scrambling back up Noah’s body and is kissing him again, filthy and wet and desperate. “Fuck me, Noah. Want it rough and hard. Want it on my knees, you behind me, opening me up with your cock. Please please please,” Luke’s rambling and incoherent and Noah’s toes curl against the mat from the rough need in his voice.  
  
“Yeah,” he breathes against Luke’s mouth. “Yeah, okay. Up.” He shoves at Luke’s shoulder and Luke gets up and rearranges himself until he’s on his hands and knees, legs spread far apart, ass in the air, and Noah squeezes the base of his cock to keep from coming. “Luke.  _Fuck_.  
  
“Hurry up or I’m starting this without you.”  
  
Noah knee walks on the floor until he’s behind Luke. He can’t help but fit his cock against the cleft of Luke’s ass and rub up and down. The sound that comes out of Luke’s mouth makes him ten times harder than he already is. He looks around for anything they can use and realizes they have no supplies here. They really need to work on that.  
  
“Shit, we don’t have anything.”  
  
But Luke is shaking his head and turns to grab at Noah’s fingers before shoving them in his mouth and sucking, getting them perfectly wet in no time before releasing them and fixing Noah with a heated stare. “You. I just need you. Please.”  
  
And Noah doesn’t waste anymore time before pushing in two fingers and Luke’s back arches and he shoves back, takes them easily. Luke moves in time with Noah’s thrusts before he adds a third finger and twists, and Luke’s moans echo off the walls, surrounding them both.   
  
“Now, Noah.”  
  
Noah spits in his hand and slicks himself up as best as he can. He knows it’ll hurt a little but that’s what Luke had wanted. And then he’s pushing in one long stroke until he’s balls deep and he feels Luke’s entire body shiver.  
  
“Fuck  _yes_ , Noah.”  
  
He only gives Luke a few seconds to adjust before he starts a fast and brutal pace, neither of them going to last long at all. But Luke is meeting him thrust for thrust, the sounds coming out of his mouth vibrating through him and making Noah’s cock pulse harder inside him.   
  
“Yeah.  _God_. I love your cock, baby. Always feels so good inside me. So  _big_. Fucking into me--tearing me-- _fuck_ \--tearing me apart.”  
  
Noah’s movements stutter a little at Luke’s words because he’s got such filthy, filthy, filthy mouth in bed and more than once Luke’s gotten him off with just his words, whispered and broken and ragged in Noah’s ear.   
  
“ _Luke_ ”.   
  
But Luke just groans, the sound pulled deep from his chest and fucks back onto Noah’s cock and Noah resumes his pace, the slick sounds of skin against skin loud and harsh in the room. Then Luke is rising all of a sudden and Noah falters, going on his haunches as Luke hauls himself up onto his lap and the new position drives Noah deeper inside and he gasps his surprise into the skin of Luke’s neck, mouths at it and then bites down, sucking folds between his lips.  
  
Their movements turn faster, Luke rocking back harder, his back slick and strong and perfect against Noah’s chest. His hands are on Luke’s hips, helping him move. He looks over Luke’s shoulder, sees Luke’s own cock hard and leaking, bouncing along his stomach as Luke rides him. Noah reaches over to grip it and jerk him off along to their thrusts but Luke stops him with a hand on his arm.   
  
“No,” he gasps out. “Wanna come just on your cock.”  
  
And Noah’s stomach clenches hard at those words, his eyes rolling back a little as their movements become more uneven and frantic. He moves his hands to Luke’s thighs, his fingers grasping skin, leaving marks with his nails, knows there’ll be bruises and scratches there later. But Luke is rocking back harder, and Noah is fucking in faster and he hears the high-pitched whimper Luke makes in the back of this throat that usually means he’s close.   
  
And  _thank fuck_  because Noah doesn’t think he can last much longer. Their bodies are a blur of limbs and skin when Luke reaches back and grabs the back of Noah’s neck, twisting his body so he can suck Noah’s tongue into his mouth. And then he’s coming and coming, cock pulsing out white streaks and Noah has to pull away from the kiss, has to watch Luke fall completely apart.  
  
He wraps a hand around Luke’s cock and helps him along, ignoring Luke’s half-protest and strokes over the sensitive skin, jerking him off.   
  
“Oh fuck me. Fuck.” He’s shivering, overstimulated but he’s still rocking back on Noah’s cock hard and sure. “Come on, baby.”   
  
Noah thrusts in twice more before his hips stills and he’s coming too, gasping and groaning and Luke greedily swallows the sound from his mouth. He empties himself inside Luke and slumps over, Luke taking his weight, fingers carding through the strands of his sweaty hair. He knows they need to move soon or they’ll start to cramp. But he thinks he can honestly fall asleep like this.   
  
It’s Luke who moves first, slowly lifting himself from Noah’s lap and he winces a little when Noah slips out of him.  
  
“You okay?  
  
Luke gives him a lazy smile and crawls back half on his lap to kiss him, “Shut up, Mayer. I am better than okay.”   
  
Noah smiles back and guides them to lay back on the mat, blindly reaching for something to clean Luke off and his hand lands on one of the towels they had taken out earlier before they started training. He wipes Luke’s stomach down and turns him to reach behind and wipe at the come,  _Noah’s come_ , steadily leaking down Luke’s thighs. Noah can’t help but slip a finger a little inside, opening Luke up again to feel. Luke groans like he’s in pain but his eyelids are fluttering and his mouth is opened around a gasp. He thrusts back against Noah’s finger a little.   
  
“If you keep that up, we are never going to get anything done today. Ever.”  
  
Noah smirks but pulls away, kisses Luke softy on the mouth. They both just lay there, spread-eagle on the cooling mattress, trying to catch their breaths.   
  
After awhile Noah says, “I’m going to miss this. Being able to just do this wherever we want at any point of the day without having to worry about everything else once we head back.” Luke shifts next to him and stills. And he’s quiet, too quiet, and Noah glances over. “Hey, what’s wrong?”  
  
A flash of something a lot like guilt flitters across Luke’s face and Noah feels dread fill his stomach.  
  
“Noah, I have to tell you something.”  
  
***  
  
Luke feels Noah's entire body tense beside him. "Wait, what? I thought we weren't leaving for another two weeks!"  
  
"Plans had to be tweaked and we moved it up several days." Luke shrugs, tries to tamper down the guilt he's feeling. He had known Noah wasn't going to like the schedule change and he's going to hate what Luke is about to say next even more. "And I need to go alone, you won't be coming with me."  
  
" _Excuse me?_ " Noah is sitting up now, his entire face flushed, the color spreading down his bare chest. Luke has to look away.  
  
"Noah - "  
  
"No. You don't get to  _Noah_  me. I want to know exactly why I can't come with you."  
  
Luke thinks about the countless of conversations he's had with Jim and Zoe the past few months, the parts of it he hasn't relayed back to Noah because he knows Noah will object, that he'll find a way to talk Luke out of it.  
  
"Look, it's not that big of a deal. It's just some quick reconnaissance of some new information that Zoe has and I need to be there in person to visit a few places and look them over."  
  
"And I can't come with you because?" Noah's tone is clipped, heat flaring in his eyes.  
  
"Because I need you  _here_ , where I know you're safe. Because I don't want to risk your life before I absolutely have to."  
  
Noah laughs but there's no humor to it. "Bullshit. I've been risking my life this entire year and even before that. We  _both_  have. So give me the real reason."  
  
"That  _is_  the real reason!" Luke shouts, he can't help it. He stands up and shoves his boxers back on and starts pacing. "And this is different. We're going  _back_ , Noah. After the initial word from Zoe about getting the crucial piece that we needed to go forward with our plans, months and months of preparation, all the added information we've gathered, all our training, we're thrusting ourselves right back into the core of _everything_. This could be war, and I don't want you getting hurt over something as stupid as general protocol!"  
  
Noah is on his feet as well, finds his pants and pulls them on. "Then why do  _you_  have to go? Why can't Jim? Or Zoe?"  
  
"Because I'm the person with the most knowledge of how Damian runs his branch of The Company. Because it's too much of a risk to pass off what I know over line connections or even coded messages. What Zoe found could be the one thing that could blow everything out in the open. I need to be there and see it in person to make sure it is what we're hoping it is."  
  
Noah starts running his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit that Luke usually finds endearing. "But I still don't understand why I can't come with you. Like you said, we've been training,  _I've_  been training. You've taught me a lot this past year, how to defend myself, more than what the Colonel could have probably taught me, so why do I have to stay behind?"  
  
Luke actually growls and steps right into Noah's space. "Because it's an unnecessary risk! Because even though I'm sure you're more than capable of holding your own, I've been doing this for nearly two decades. Because I am trying to save  _your life_ , Mayer. And I will never forgive myself if something happened to you over something so stupid as wanting to be there when you don't have to be!"  
  
Noah closes his eyes for a moment and breathes. When he opens them again, his eyes are filled with a mixture of determination, stubbornness, and a fierce love that makes Luke's breath catch in his throat.  
  
"Don't you get it, Luke? It's not just my life, or yours, it's  _our life_. It has been since you decided to tell me who you really were, the moment I decided it didn't matter, and the moment  _we_  decided to leave everything behind so we can make things  _right_  again. I've been in this since the beginning and I'm in it until the end, and everything in between. Including this."  
  
Noah gets closer, his hands going to Luke's face, touching their foreheads together. And Luke can't breathe, can't think with Noah this close so he takes a step back.  
  
"Noah, I can't. I won't."  
  
Noah's glare is back and he looks angrier than before. "This doesn't make any sense. You keep saying this is a routine check so that's why I don't need to come. But then you're going on about me getting hurt. Which is it, Luke? Because if you're so determined to keep me out of harm's way, why am I not allowed to worry? To be there to make sure  _you_  don't get hurt?"  
  
Luke sighs. "I've got Jim to back me up."  
  
"Oh okay then, since  _Jim_  will be there, " Noah says, sarcasm dripping from his voice.  
  
Luke's mouth thins. "Don't even, Noah. Don't start with that. That's just dumb and we both know that you acting all jealous is completely irrelevant to all of this. You're just looking for someone to blame."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Wow, and I thought I was the irrational one."  
  
"You  _are_  being irrational! By not letting me come with you. The plan was to leave in two weeks time, if it's changed, then I'll go with you now."  
  
Luke rubs a hand over his face, going to pick up the rest of his clothes and starts to dress completely.  
  
"Noah. I told you already, only one of us has to go. And it's not you."  
  
"I can't believe you're only telling me this now."  
  
Luke finishes getting dressed and the guilt he'd been trying to fight claws at his gut. "I know. Fuck. I'm sorry, okay? I knew if you knew that some things had changed ahead of time, you were going to do everything you could to come and it probably would have eventually worn me down if I'm being honest. Because apparently there's no logic in my brain anymore when it comes to you, and I would have let you come with me and we could have been dealing with potential fuck ups."  
  
Noah grits his teeth. "Nice to know that I'm a potential fuck up."  
  
"Christ. That's not what I meant and you know it."  
  
They're both silent for awhile, Luke trying to look everywhere but Noah , not wanting to see the hurt that he knows is written all over Noah's face with a hint of betrayal. Noah takes a deep breath and Luke prepares for another onslaught of arguments.  
  
"Do they know? That the plans have changed?"  
  
Luke doesn't have to ask Noah what he means because he already knows. "Yeah, Oliver has been informed, at least on a need-to-know basis. Which technically has nothing to do with this, of me leaving early. And probably Casey, to an extent except he doesn't know anything really beyond a vague notion that we’re not actually totally dead. But yes, they know.” Luke pauses. “Noah, we need to talk to Grayson.”   
  
Noah's eyes snap to his, going wide. "What, you're meeting with Zach too? I don't understand."  
  
Luke swallows. This is one of the things he hasn't talked to Noah about yet. Zachary Grayson’s history with The Company that Noah doesn't know about. Luke had been trying to find the right time to tell him.  
  
When Luke doesn't speak for awhile, Noah's stomach starts to churn with about a thousand unpleasant conclusions his mind can't help but draw up.  
  
"Luke. Why do you have to talk to Zach? What does he have to do with anything?"  
  
"I was going to tell you, Noah. I was. I just never found the right time. And it's not really my story to tell."  
  
Noah curses, disbelieving. "Don't give me that lame excuse. We're way, way past that, Luke. Tell me and don't even think about lying."  
  
Luke rubs at his arm distractingly and looks at Noah right in the eye. "We found out that the Graysons had been targeted and killed by The Company when he was just a kid. We don't know the exact details...yet. But from what we gathered they were a family with a lot of connections and they found something out that The Company didn't want them to know, so they got rid of them. Tried to get rid of  _all_  of them, including Zach."  
  
Noah feels cold all over, like a bucket of ice had been poured over him. "How did Zach survive?"  
  
"He wasn't with them when the 'accident' happened that took their lives. We believe plans got changed last minute and he ended up with relatives instead of being with his parents like he was supposed to be."  
  
"Jesus."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Noah tries to stops all the thoughts flying through his head and focuses on the one question that's forefront in his mind. "What made them stop from going after Zach, to finish the job?"  
  
Luke bites at his lip. "That we're not totally sure of. Which is more of a reason to meet with him. But I am assuming, it's because they probably came to the conclusion that he wasn't a threat. And that he didn't know what his parents knew. Grayson was only about nine, maybe ten at the time. And it would have been pretty suspicious if Grayson had died shortly after his parents did. The Graysons were a pretty influential family at the time. Still are."  
  
Noah is silent, trying to process everything and Luke can't read the expression on his face so he goes on, close to babbling.  
  
"But you and I both know that they kept tabs on him. Probably got nervous when he started going into politics. Noah, everything ties together. Them always trying to bring Grayson down from the inside. With trying to take you out, making sure Reg's gambling habits were exposed, and how he was supposedly killed by his collectors, as so grossly glorified by the fucking media. They want to cripple him until he can't walk anymore. Weaken him so they can take him out swiftly."  
  
"So he's the main key in all of this," Noah says.  
  
Luke shakes his head. "No, he's not. He might be a major player, but The Company has always tried to get rid of his kind. You know, people who are actually trying to do good with the power that they have. And Grayson's politics rub them wrong in every way possible. But in a sense, yes, he's really important right now because he's the only lead we have that might know more about the information that Zoe was able to obtain."  
  
"Information about the black boxes."  
  
Luke nods. "Yes, about the black boxes."  
  
Noah's gaze narrows. "And are you ever going to tell me more about these boxes other than that we have to retrieve them?"  
  
Luke sighs. "Yes and no. Yes, as soon as we can actually confirm we know where they are. The fact that Zoe and I were able to find out they actually  _existed_  was a huge step. And no, because I don't even really know what's in them, okay? Just that they contain what we need to take The Company down. Or at least to make sure they never bother us again."  
  
Noah pinches at the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "And Zach just  _agreed_  to meet with you? I didn't even know that he knew that we were alive!"  
  
Luke winces. "Er. He doesn't"  
  
"What?"  
  
"He doesn't know. We couldn't risk trying to communicate with him considering Zoe, Jim, and I don't really have mutual connections with him, other than you, to try and get a message to him that he would believe. And the less people who know about anything, the better  _and_  he has The Company always tracking him one way or another. "  
  
"So your  _genius_  plan is to surprise him? Are you kidding me? This is more of a reason for me to come with you! I  _know_  Zach. I've worked for him for a long time and we're good friends!"  
  
Luke groans even though he had been expecting this. "Jim and I have got it figured out, okay? We'll catch him totally unaware and he'll probably freak out but we've worked on a plan to make sure we see him when he's completely alone."  
  
Noah is shaking head before Luke finishes his sentence. "No. You keep saying that me coming with you is stupid. Well,  _this_  is stupid. Zach trusts me, let me come with you, please."  
  
"No, Noah. And that's my final decision."  
  
"Your final decision?!" Noah yells. "Are you serious? You don't control me, Luke. I'm not one of your fucking agents that you can order around. I'm coming with you."  
  
Luke stills completely and looks at Noah directly, eyes hard and his entire face stony. When he speaks, it's calm and measured, laced with steel. "No, you're not. And I will fucking handcuff you to the bars in this training room if I have to. Jim will have some of his people watching you around the clock too, so don't even think about trying to follow me while I'm gone."  
  
Noah's expression shifts and Luke's entire heart bleeds at the look of betrayal, helplessness, but mostly anger on Noah's face.  
  
All the fight drains out of Luke and he walks over to Noah, flinching when Noah takes a step back, but Luke keeps going. He puts a hand on Noah's face, trying to break past the cold gaze Noah's giving him.  
  
"I'm sorry, baby. I am. But this is how it has to be right now. Please, just trust me." Noah looks away and shakes off the hand on his face and Luke's heart falls. "Look, I don't..I don't have time for this right now. To get into this with you, I've got to go. I have to finalize some things, make some calls before I Ieave in a couple of days."  
  
Noah still isn't looking at him when he says, "Go then. Wouldn't want to keep your important plans waiting."  
  
"Noah..."  
  
"Just go, Luke. Go make your calls. I need some time to think right now, to cool off."  
  
Luke tries to swallow past the lump in his throat. "Okay. But when I'm done, we'll talk some more okay? I don't want to leave when we're like this. When we're fighting."  
  
"Yeah sure," Noah says almost absentmindedly.  
  
Luke wants to kiss him or at least hug him but he's not sure if any of it will be welcomed. As he's walking to the door, he takes a glance back at Noah and his gut churns. Noah looks beautiful, with his chest still bare and flushed, the sunlight casting a glow around his profile. But his fists are clenched at his sides, eyes completely downcast, sadness written all over his face.  
  
And Luke feels like the most horrible person in the world.


	3. Part Two

_Part 2_  
  
Noah glares at the mess of clothes left in piles all over their bedroom and heads toward the nearest one. He’d made himself scarce for the last two days while Luke made his plans, barely speaking to him, even as he realized how childish it was but he was pissed off, and Noah never felt the need to hide that fact from Luke.   
  
He scowls down at the shirt in his hands. It's one of Luke's favorites, soft and worn from use. It makes Noah's heart trip a little in his chest when he brings it to his nose, sniffing to get Luke's scent from the material. He shakes his head and shoves it back inside the drawer, wrinkling it because he's feeling  _that_  petty right now. He pulls one of his own out, ignores that twist of joy in his stomach every time he thinks about the fact that they share a drawer, a closet, a bed...  
  
But apparently not a life.  
  
The thought tastes sour in his throat as he pulls the shirt over his head.  
  
He doesn't want to feel like this, angry and helpless. There's nothing he can do about it, he knows it better than he wants to admit. Luke is stubborn. Noah is even more stubborn. It boggles his mind that they’ve managed to make their relationship work.   
  
And it works.   
  
No matter how angry Luke makes him, what they have isn’t something Noah is willing to give up easily. But it’s days like that, where Luke makes decisions based on his fear for Noah or as he sees it, his lack of faith in Noah’s ability to help keep them both safe, that he has momentary doubt. He knows if he lets them take root, it would cause trouble -- big trouble -- and he wishes that he could talk to someone about it.   
  
Someone who wouldn’t lie to him. Someone that always sees problems in a linear way and doesn’t  _usually_  let emotions get in his way.  
  
He eyes the top drawer of the small desk set up in their living room as he walks down from their bedroom. Noah leans against the doorframe, keeping his gaze steady on the desk and drums his fingers against his forearm, the nervous gesture an old habit he’d thought he’d gotten rid of ages ago. He knows making the call he wants to make is risky, possibly suicidal but he also knows that Zoe wouldn’t have given him the option if it wasn’t at least partially okay to use it.   
  
Taking a deep breath, he pushes off the wall and heads to the desk, pulling the drawer open and then removing it completely. He taps and taps until he finds the hollow part and then pushes, the false bottom giving in. Noah catches the cellphones as they slide out from the pocket, replacing one of the cells back in the hiding place while he rubs his fingers over the numbers on the other phone. It’s a secure line. Zoe said it was to be used only in case of emergencies but that if he decided to use it for something else just to make sure and keep the call time to a minimum.   
  
Before he can change his mind, Noah dials the number running through his mind, taps his fingers against the desk while it rings in his ear.   
  
“Oakdale Memorial Hospital. How may I connect your call?”   
  
Noah changes the tone of his voice, adds a gruffness that sounds almost natural. “I need to speak with Dr. Reid Oliver, please?”   
  
“Hold one moment, sir.” There’s the sound of a click and he thinks that he’s been hung up or worse that the line is tapped. Noah almost hangs up but then a voice he does recognize picks up.   
  
“Nurses Station: ICU. Alison speaking.”   
  
Noah’s mouth goes dry.   
  
“Hello?”   
  
“Yeah, I need to talk to Dr. Oliver.”   
  
“I’m sorry, Dr. Oliver is in a meeting. Can I take a message?” Alison’s voice is annoyed and Noah knows that means Reid probably isn’t at a meeting but is making the nursing staff say that. Apparently it’s one of those days which makes his call perfect timing. Cranky Reid will be more brutally honest than normal. “He’ll want to take this call.”   
  
“Sir, like I said --”   
  
Noah grimaces but cuts Alison off, “Look just get him on the phone. I know he’s not in a meeting. He’ll take this call.”   
  
“I see. Who should I say is calling?” Alison voice is terse, biting, and Noah wants to hug her through the phone line. He knows how hard she works and maybe he shouldn’t do this but -- he wants to hear Reid’s voice. He misses the asshole. A lot.   
  
“Archie Leech.”   
  
Noah bites his lips and hopes that he hasn’t just given anything away but then Alison says, “Hold on, Mr. Leech,” and Noah hears the soothing hold music. He hopes that Reid remembers and he isn’t taking this risk for no reason.   
  
***  
  
Luke stares at a spot on the wall over Jim's shoulder, head tilted a little towards him. But he's not really listening to what Jim's saying. They've gone over this so many times now, he believes he can afford not to. His mind is on Noah and how they left things, the regret bites at his skin and he scratches at it absently. The last couple of days before Luke left with Jim had been filled with cold and tense silences. It hadn't been that bad since before they officially got together and Luke hated it. But every time he tried to open up some type of conversation, to reassure Noah  _again_ , Noah's eyes would flare and practically dared him to not even try. So Luke had bit his tongue and left Noah alone to brood. On the day he actually left, he braved leaning in to kiss Noah on the cheek, but all he got was a stiff nod in return and then he and Jim were gone. Flying thousands of miles away and Luke had to fight not to jump out and swim his way back, apologize a hundred times over, and bury himself in Noah's arms. Say,  _fuck The Company, fuck everything, no one can stop us from staying here forever_.  
  
He's thinking about sneaking in a call to Noah, never mind the risks of opening a line outside of their scheduled block of time where they can connect to a frequency with less chances of being intercepted. Because he hates this, hates knowing that they're so far away from each other with anger and guilt and sadness and everything else that's making Luke not be able to sleep at night, sitting low and burning in his stomach. He wonders what Noah’s thinking, if he’s still so angry with him.   
  
“And then he took the giant dildo out of his ass and the tip of it looked like a gun and I ran and ducked for cover. Never sleep with those can-can dancers in Beijing, man, you’ll never know what you’re going to get.”  
  
“Uh huh...wait, what?”  
  
Jim rolls his eyes. “Oh, so you are listening to me? That’s so sweet, Luke. And here I thought we were just sipping tea and eating crumpets and not doing anything important like, you know, planning any sort of espionage.”  
  
Luke sighs and gives him an apologetic grin. “Sorry. Mind’s totally somewhere else.”  
  
“I gathered that.”  
  
“But I’m not an idiot and we already went over this earlier this morning when you dragged my ass out of bed  _three hours_  before my alarm was going to go off. Thanks for that by the way.”  
  
“Aw, you’re welcome, baby.”  
  
Luke glares.  
  
And Jim smirks back, unrepentant. “You were the one who wanted to get things over with so you can get back to Noah.”  
  
At his name Luke’s entire face softens and he leans back on the couch they’ve been on the past few hours going over strategies. He feels so tired, so incredibly tired and all he wants is to sleep for the next million years. Preferably tucked comfortably against his boyfriend.   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
“So is that what’s got you all dazed out? Thinking about the fight you guys had?” Jim’s tone is concerned but also slightly determined.  
  
And Luke know’s that tone. It’s Jim’s I’m-Going-To-Tell-You-How-It-Is-And-You-Better-Listen-Cause-You-Know-I’m-Always-Right tone. He had used it on Luke many times when they first met. When Luke had tried to just make Jim a one-off. Because Luke didn’t do repeats, because he didn’t let anyone get close, especially when it came sex. But Jim’s easy and carefree attitude about  _everything_  got under his skin, and he made Luke realize that sometimes not everything had to be a big deal, that things didn’t have to be as complicated as he made them out to be.   
  
Luke still hates it though, that Jim can make it look so easy when Luke has to turn every possible scenario over and over in his head until he’s so stressed out he forgets what he’s been worrying so much about in the first place.   
  
Jim is looking at him now, serious expression on his face and Luke readies himself for it.   
  
***  
  
Reid glances up from his paperwork, glaring at the knock on the door and snaps, “What?”  
  
The door opens quickly and Alison stands there, hands on her hips, glaring back at him. “That tone isn’t necessary, Dr. Oliver.”   
  
He really thinks it is. “Do you have something constructive to say, Nurse Stewart, or is this just how you like to waste the time you should be working?” He sees her jaw clench, watches the restraint it takes her not to slam the door shut or throw something at his head.   
  
“You have a phone call.”   
  
“I told you to say I was in a meeting, didn’t I? Simple enough instructions for anyone.”   
  
Alison clenches the doorknob tightly and Reid has to admire her control. “They didn’t buy it. Said you’d want to talk to them.”   
  
Reid snorts. “Shocker. There’s no one I want to talk to. Just get rid of them.”   
  
“Fine but if Mr. Leech gives me a hard time, I’m transferring him to you. I don’t-”   
  
Her voice is drowned out by the white noise in his ears and he grips hard on the pen in his hand. “Give me the call.”   
  
Alison stops talking and stares.   
  
Reid grits his teeth. “Just do it.”   
  
She leaves and he rubs his hand over his face, swallows down at the panic and other feelings he doesn’t have time to deal with. He picks up the phone on the first ring.  
  
“Hello?”   
  
There’s a long pause and he thinks the call’s been lost until he hears a quiet breathing. His shoulders relax and he tamps down on the thrill he gets. “Your crush on Cary Grant is really kind of disturbing just so you know.”   
  
Noah laughs quietly, a little wet. “You remembered.”   
  
Reid makes an insulted sort of noise. “Of course I did. You know how many movies you made me watch?”  
  
“You never did appreciate those films like you should have.”   
  
“No, but it wasn’t the films I was trying to appreciate.”  
  
There’s a long silence. “You must really miss me if you’re willing to admit that.”   
  
Reid shrugs even though he knows Noah can’t see. He probably knows that he’s doing it. “But you didn’t call for me. Or even to let me know you’re okay.” He glances around his office. “Is this even safe?” He doesn’t say Noah’s name even though he wants to.   
  
“It’s as safe as it can be. And no. I -- I needed to talk to someone.”   
  
Reid blinks. “And your boyfriend isn’t around to help?”  
  
“That’s what I want to talk about.’   
  
“Oh, this can’t be good.”   
  
The sound Noah makes is somewhere between a growl and whine. “I don’t know how to deal with someone as stubborn he is. Take note that I dated  _you_. So. That’s telling you a lot.”  
  
Reid can’t disagree. “But then he has to date you back. So.  _You_  take that into account.” Noah huffs out and Reid stops him before he says anything that will be a lie. “Don’t even try it,  _Archie._  You’re no picnic.”  
  
“I know that!”   
  
“Good to know that you haven’t become delusional. So, if you know all that, why are you mad?”   
  
Noah doesn’t say anything right away and Reid settles in his chair, waits as patiently as he can for him to start talking. He knows what that means so he throws out a quick, “Oh, by the way, I’m doing great. Thanks for asking.”   
  
It’s enough of a push and Noah snaps. “I miss you every day, fucker. Stop being an asshole.”   
  
Reid rolls his eyes, smiles as much as he can because this whole situation is beyond a mess and refuses to let the warmth in his chest spread out. “Of course you do. Come on.”   
  
“God, I hate you.”  
  
Reid shakes his head. “No, you don’t.” He can almost hear Noah’s smile over the phone.   
  
“No, I don’t.”   
  
“Great. Now that’s we’ve gotten the obvious out of the way -- and to get this moving because I assume we don’t have a lot of time left -- tell me what the jerk you ended up with did so we can plan how to make him pay and then we can both get back to our normal day.”  
  
Noah sighs, but starts talking and Reid gets more aggravated as he does because damn it he really doesn’t want to end up not hating Luke Snyder.   
  
He  _really_  doesn’t.   
  
***  
  
“I think you not telling Noah was a stupid idea. And you not letting him come with you is even stupider.”   
  
Luke grits his teeth even though he had an inkling Jim felt this way about it. “It’s really none of your business.”  
  
“Oh but see, it is my business. Because you and I have been talking about this for awhile. And we were planning everything together. Every detail, including Noah’s role in all of this. Him being by your side. We took account of the things that could go wrong, and made further back up plans to accommodate them. So you deciding to go on this one by yourself when Noah could have come easily is just a pretty selfish move, I’ve got to say.”   
  
“Excuse me?” Luke sits up, back straight and tense.   
  
“Come on, Luke. We’ve been building up for all of this for more than a year. And the past several months especially. You guys have been training. Noah  _knows_  all of this. He would have been ready for it.”  
  
“I don’t want him to get hurt, okay?”  
  
Jim rolls his eyes even harder. “That is such a bullshit excuse, I can’t believe you think that will actually work on me.”  
  
Luke opens his mouth for a scathing retort but all that comes out is, “You sound like Noah.”  
  
Jim smiles lazily. “Well, you do have excellent taste if I do say so myself.”  
  
“Shut up.”   
  
“I don’t see you denying anything.”   
  
Luke is quiet and Jim sighs.   
  
“Look. I’m not saying you’re entirely wrong. I understand that you don’t want him to get hurt before we even attempt to carry out any of this. And I don’t know Noah very well but I’ve got a feeling he’s pretty much as stubborn as you and if he were in your shoes, he’d probably try to stop you from going, too. But bottom line is, you both knew what you were getting into and you both knew about the consequences so cutting him out now is not the best move.”  
  
Luke can’t say anything because a part of him does know it’s selfish. That if something does mess up during this particular stage, if they got hurt or worse, at least Luke will know Noah is safe and tucked away somewhere. And there are people looking out for him and that he’ll be guarded and taken care of if everything goes to shit. Luke could die, knowing that he didn’t take Noah with him. And if Noah isn’t here, then he wouldn’t have to deal with Noah  _dying_  on his watch. Leaving Luke by himself, dealing with it all. Not having Noah in his life and not caring about anything else.   
  
And then an even more guilty and treacherous thought enters his mind. That maybe he planned on leaving Noah there, that Luke was never going to let him come, so Luke could deal with everything on his own. That maybe this has been his fight all along. And he could deal with Noah hating him more than he could deal with Noah being dead.   
  
Luke tries not to think about that part too often because it makes him feel sick inside. Because he knows that if it was the other way around, he probably would never forgive Noah for betraying him like that. Especially if Noah thought it was for his  _own good_. And Luke hates it when people think he can’t take care of himself.  
  
“Ah, fuck.”  
  
Jim nods gravely and claps him on the shoulder. “I know, now let’s get to the part where you fix things.”   
  
***  
  
Noah tells Reid everything he thinks it’s safe to talk about, sticking mostly to the fact that Luke doesn’t trust him enough to let him in on his plans. He rants about feeling useless and like he can’t help the man he loves get them out of the mess they both ended up in. He lets loose about how he deserves to at least be by Luke’s side -- that it should be him and not  _Jim_  -- and when he finally winds down, his breathing is harsh and he can feel the heat in his face.   
  
Reid doesn’t say anything when he finishes but Noah can imagine the expression on his face by the quiet he hears over the phone. Reid has a lot of different silences. Almost as many as Casey has tones in his voice so he knows this one is the “I am going to be the logic in this crazy” silence.   
  
He strikes first. “Don’t even try to tell me I’m completely wrong, Reid.”   
  
“I wasn’t going to say that.”   
  
Noah gives the phone a look as he pulls it away from his ear. He takes a deep breath then brings it back. “Uh-huh.”  
  
“Stop putting words in my mouth.”   
  
“So you agree with me?”   
  
Reid laugh is just shy of mocking. “Oh, no. You are wrong. Just not completely.”  
  
“You’re a riot, Oliver. Really.”   
  
He hears the sound of Reid shifting in his seat and resists the urge to roll his eyes. Here comes Oliver’s Lesson In Not Being Stupid. “I want you to think about this carefully, Noah. If you were in Luke’s shoes, what would you have done?”   
  
Noah opens his mouth to say he’d take Luke with him but that would not be the truth. He probably would have resorted to tying Luke down to whatever he could find before letting him go on any sort of life or death mission. “I would have given him the choice to decide!”   
  
“Sure. Then you would have him tied him down somewhere because you love him and wouldn’t want him to get hurt because of you.” Reid says easily and Noah hates that he knows him that well. “He just took away the middle part.”   
  
“I deserve to get a choice, Reid.”   
  
“You did get a choice. When you picked him and this entire insane idea, that was when you put your life in his hands.”   
  
Noah frowns. “We’re supposed to have each other’s backs. We made a pact that we were in this together.” He stands up from the couch and starts pacing, wearing a groove in the carpet as he goes.   
  
Reid snorts. “You’re not in the Boys Scouts here. You could die. You get that, right?”  
  
“Of course I do! But so could -- he could too, Reid.”   
  
“Exactly. And how would you feel if he died? Because you couldn’t keep him safe.”   
  
Noah stops in his tracks. “Fuck.”  
  
“Ah, I see you finally get it.”   
  
Noah closes his eyes. “He’s scared.”   
  
“Probably. If he thinks that you’re safe, hidden away somewhere then he doesn’t have to worry about what will happen to him if you die. I don’t think he’d handle that too well.”   
  
He sits with a plop back into the couch, hangs his head and sighs. “I don’t think I could live without him now, Reid. I understand where he might be coming from but -- I could help. That was the plan. I was supposed to be there to help. What if they need me and I’m not there because he changed his mind? He should have let me.”   
  
“He should have told you  _why_  and  _asked_  you to stay. I’ll give you that. It was stupid of him not to.”  
  
“But I should have listened to him before yelling and leaving things as ugly as I left them.” Noah regrets not telling Luke how much he loves him and that he just wants to be with him, safe and together. They can overcome everything if they stick with each other. Instead he let his own insecurities get the best of him. He allowed the love of his life to walk out the door without even a kiss goodbye. If something happened, if Luke got hurt and that was the last memory he had of him--  
  
“Okay, don’t start imagining worst case scenarios. You’re good at that. Just call him.”   
  
“I can’t. It’s not safe.” Noah still eyes the drawer where the second phone is hidden. He can’t use it. He needs it to be there just in case.   
  
Reid sounds wary when he asks, “But this is, right?”   
  
“Should be.”   
  
“Okay. We need to hang up now.”   
  
Noah smiles. “I heart you, too, Reid.”  
  
“Jesus, you are such a twelve year old girl sometimes. Why did we ever date?”   
  
“I was blind and you have a thing for the wounded. Plus you liked my ass. You didn’t have a chance.”   
  
Reid pauses. “Seriously, how do you get around with that massive ego of yours?”  
  
Noah laughs for the first time in their whole conversation. A real true belly kind of laugh and wheezes out, “Pot. Kettle.” He takes a moment to collect himself then returns his attention to the phone. They do need to get off the line. “Thank you for listening.”   
  
“It’s what I do.” Reid stops then says, “Okay, it’s not but I can make an exception or two every once in awhile.”   
  
“I need to go.”   
  
“I know,” is Reid’s quiet response, “It was -- thank you for calling.”   
  
“Missed you, too, asshole.”   
  
:Yeah, whatever. Just take my advice and cut that guy some slack. I hate him but at least he’s looking out for you.”   
  
Noah can’t make any promises but he thinks Reid knows that. “Bye.” He can’t be the one to hang up first but he needs to be.   
  
“Bye.”   
  
He cuts off the call then takes the phone into the kitchen. Taking it apart piece by piece, he uses their garbage disposal to destroy the the SIM card then rummages under the sink until he finds the hammer. Noah pounds what is left of the phone until it’s nothing but a mound of plastic. He needs to burn what’s left of it out in one of the beach fires the locals have going most of the time.   
  
He pulls on his hoodie to hide his face, locks the door to the house and walks down the beach. His mind churns with all the things Reid said to him, all the things he said to Luke, everything they didn’t and he closes his eyes. The sand beneath his feet scratches at his skin. He walks barefoot most of his days on the island and it drives Luke crazy. Noah smiles, hears his voice in his head protesting that he needs to wear shoes “for crying out loud, baby, what if we need to make a quick escape?”   
  
It makes his chest ache, throb and he misses Luke so much in that moment that his vision swims a little. He reconsiders his decision not to try and contact Luke but it would take effort. Zoe would not be pleased if Noah called her demanding a number to get in touch with Luke. He breathes deep, casts his eyes toward the ocean and slows his pace.  
  
Luke will be fine and Noah will get to tell him he loves him and when this is all over they’ll spend the rest of their lives together.   
  
He holds onto that thought as he makes his way toward the other end of the beach.  
  
  
***  
  
“I could try to call him now.”  
  
Jim frowns. “I wish you could, but we know the lines aren’t too secure right now. It’s best we wait until we’ve spoken to Grayson.”  
  
“Yeah, I know.” Luke sighs. “Okay, I’m going to turn in then because  _someone_  woke me up at five a.m. this morning because he’s actually trained in being a masochist instead of a CIA agent. Which really, it’s the same thing.”   
  
Jim’s eyes light up. “Aw, Grimaldi, since you found out you’ve rarely mention the big “C” word--”  
  
“Cock?” Luke helpfully interrupts.   
  
Jim laughs. “Touché. But I meant my status of employment.”  
  
Luke scowls slightly. “Ha, that’s because your kind has hunted us down since forever and-”   
  
“-because you all are such good guys that deserve gold star civilian awards.”   
  
“-you’re just a general pain in  _my_  ass,” Luke continues as if he hasn’t been interrupted, ignoring Jim’s words.   
  
“I thought you liked it when I was doing stuff to your ass?”  
  
Luke rolls his eyes.  
  
“Please, can we not? Oh by the way, none of that stuff when we see Noah again.”  
  
“What stuff?” Jim’s eyes are wide and innocent and doing absolutely nothing to fool Luke.  
  
“The flirty stuff. Noah gets weird about it sometimes.”  
  
“But that’s like asking me to stop being who I am. Why would you repress me that way?”  
  
“ _Jim_ ”.  
  
“Fine fine. Like you’re any better with Oliver.”   
  
Luke’s eyes narrow. “That’s different.”  
  
“If you say so.” But Jim smiles easily and Luke can’t stay annoyed with him. “Get some sleep, rookie, we’ve got a big couple of days ahead of us.”   
  
Luke flips him off on his way back to his room.


	4. Part Three

_Part 3_  
  
Noah turns in bed -- for the millionth time that hour -- and stares at the clock on the nightstand near Luke's side. The clock's red numbers glow in the darkness and he closes his eyes at the time.  
  
Three-thirty in the morning.  
  
He hasn't managed anything that resembles sleep. The bed is too cold and large without Luke's legs fighting for custody of the mattress or his soft, steady breathing filling up the room. Noah had never been a fan of snuggling until he met Luke. Maybe it was because nobody else had fit until Luke came along. Everything he'd been missing with Reg and Reid, he found with Luke.  
  
Noah rolls his eyes at himself, shakes his head as he rolls to his side, blinking at the soft swirling of the curtain. He loves their house, the sound of the waves outside, the salty smell of the sea air. It all spells home to Noah and he isn't even sure if he wants to leave this place. It's a selfish thought and he realizes that his family is mourning people that aren't dead. He knows what the effect of their deception has had on them but sometimes he wishes they could just be. No Company. No bad guys trying to kill them. No guilt.  
  
He never voices the thoughts, mostly they pass by fast enough and he knows he doesn't mean them.  
  
There's a crack of lightning and sound of rolling thunder not too far behind.  
  
A storm is coming.  
  
Breathing deep, Noah throws the covers off and steps onto the cold bare wood floor, shivering slightly. He might as well get up and go down into the living room. He won't be able to sleep in the bed. Grabbing the soft cotton undershirt he'd taken off before going to bed, he puts it on and walks toward the window. Standing just inside the shadows, he watches the waves crash onto the sandy shore, moonlight making it shimmer and the ache of missing Luke tugs a little more. He thinks of how Luke usually wraps his arms around Noah whenever he catches him looking out to the ocean. Reassures Noah that he'll get him back home soon.  
  
He pushes the thoughts out of his mind. They aren't going to make him feel any less lonely. Noah starts to turn when his eye catches movement on the edge of the house. Luke found this particular house because it was perfectly positioned to see from the three open sides around them and built almost directly into the cliff at their back side. The trees and shrubbery that surrounds them hides the house from casual view.  
  
Luke called it the perfect cover.  
  
Noah knows what it's supposed to look like from where he stands and there's something different. He keeps his stare on the shadows to the right of the house.  
  
One of them moves.  
  
He follows the figure, all dressed in black which is just not good at all, as it creeps from one shadow to the next, slowly, patiently. Noah hisses out a curse and steps further back into the room. He glances around and forces his whirling mind to calm. His jeans are on the floor near the foot of the bed and he snatches them on, fumbling into them as best he can. His senses are on high alert and he listens hard for any strange sounds. He doesn't hear the door open but he feels the change in the air when it does.  
  
Noah bites back another curse and moves quietly across the room. He knows where to avoid stepping so not to make a sound. He silently promises to never mock Luke for forcing him to learn every fault their house has. The closet door is slightly ajar and he sends thanks up to whoever is looking out for him up there. He sticks his hand inside and searches for the bag he'd prepared. Luke wasn't the only Boyscout. Noah was always prepared. He rummages inside without looking, poking past clothes until his fingers glance against cold steel. He grips the gun and pulls it out. The clip is full and he cocks back the safety, tucking his elbow in and resting his finger easily against the trigger.  
  
He looks down at his bare feet, thinks about slipping on some shoes but the noise that would make could cost him. He sticks to the wall, back hot against the cool walls, and keeps his gaze steady on the stairs. Noah can't hear anything and for a second he thinks his mind is fucking with him. Then he hears a whisper of noise, like something rubbing up against furniture and then nothing, like someone freezes. The silence that follows is loud and he knows it's not a vivid dream. He knows they found him.  
  
Whoever the hell they are at the moment.  
  
He counts the steps as he goes down, avoids the second to last stair, the tenth, and the second one before his feet find purchase on the floor of the foyer. He thinks that Luke's idea of buying a place with only one floor, after they get out of the shit they're in, is probably more than a little brilliant. His hand is steadier than his breathing and he closes his eyes, forces his breathing to quiet.  
  
Thankfully that wasn't anything Luke needed to teach him. Noah had years of experience when he was young in making himself as invisible as he could.   
  
There's a flash of light and the crashing sound of thunder that follows makes the house shake a little. One of the disadvantages of living so close to the water but he thinks for once it's a good thing. The light gives him a clear view of the hall and living room just beyond. It's clear and he moves lightly until he reaches the couch, sliding in between it and the wall before crouching down. His eyes are adjusting to the darkness and the shapes of the tables in the room are forming. From where he sits he can see clearly into the kitchen.  
  
The shadows near the back wall move and Noah takes in as many details as he can. Figure is not too tall, moves quickly and silently. He sees the glint of metal in their hands. Noah can hear Luke's voice in his head.  
  
 _"If you have your back to the wall, you have to use the advantage of surprise."_  
  
He stands and aims.  
  
The sounds of the knife flying through the air alerts him but not fast enough and it slice across his wrist. The gun drops to the floor with a loud clatter. Noah doesn't think about his next move. He runs at the person, slams them against the wall and hears the grunt they give. An elbow hits him at the base of his neck and Noah goes down. He rolls out of the way as a foot slams to the ground where he'd fallen. He grabs at the leg as it pulls up again, yanks until his assailant loses footing, tripping down. It gives Noah an advantage and he crawls toward the area where he'd dropped the gun. Another flash of lightning lets him see where it is and he reaches for it.  
  
He gets dragged back, punches hitting his kidneys and ribs. He can feel one break. Turning onto his back, he throws off his attacker, manages to kick out and hears the sound of his foot connecting with bone. He flips over, scrambles for hold of something solid. Finding nothing, he stands, fumbles to get his feet under him. He turns in time to duck from the leg aimed at his face, grabs the foot and twists, flips his attacker but he should have known. This person is part of The Company. They would know all the tricks that Luke taught him.  
  
Something slams into his face, makes him stagger back, his face throbbing. Another hit follows the first and Noah can't keep his balance, weaving back until he hits a solid force. The punches are coming fast, his vision blurring as his head smacks against the wall. He feels the cools surface of a mirror and turns, lifts to off the wall and swings it. It makes contact with the assailant's face and the sound of pain he hears makes him freeze. He can make out the shape of their face and blinks when he realizes it's a woman.  
  
That pause costs him and when the knife slides into his gut, he drops the mirror. Instinct has him grab at the woman's face and he digs his fingers into her eyes, and she screams. He ignores the sound and kicks at her shin. She falls at his feet, grabbing at him and he moves back, his bare feet step on the broken glass of the mirror and this time, he yells out. He drops to his knees and crawls to where he knows the gun is, manages to get it into his hand.  
  
She is on him, full of rage, and he cocks the gun, aims and shoots.  
  
He falls back as the body slumps on top of him. Noah can't breathe, there's a slight ringing in his ears and nothing else. He can't hear the storm outside anymore. He is so tired.  
  
Noah manages to push the body off him, stumbles to his feet, remembers the glass too late and drops down. The knife sticks out from his side and he pulls at it, hisses a  _fuck_  as he does. He should leave it in but he won't make it out with that there. Shifting on his knees he makes it to the wall and flips the light on. There's blood dripping steadily down his side, vision blacking out but he looks at the body on the floor.  
  
Her eyes are open, unseeing. A clean bullet hole is in the middle of her forehead.  
  
Noah closes his eyes, pushes the wave of sickness rolling in his stomach down and works on pulling the bits of glass from his feet. He shifts his eyes between his feet and the body. He knows logically she can't be alive but he can't trust that.  
  
He's supposed to be dead, too.  
  
When he finishes, he stands and drags himself toward the stairs. He needs to reach the cell phone upstairs. He stops half way up and sits, closing his eyes and letting the darkness wash over him.  
  
  
***  
  
He really should stop thinking about it because it’s not going to do anything but drive him crazy. Again. But he can’t help it. His mother would probably be rolling her eyes at him now, and then let him have a sip of her tea. Because she claimed tea solved everything. Rose Grayson was a formidable woman, not to be messed with it. Well, at least from what Zach could remember. He had tried to preserve all the memories he had of her because she died when he was so young. But that was some of the best he had. Her sitting on the sofa with his father, drinking their tea, and laughing at whatever program was on that night.   
  
He shakes his head. Because these thoughts only ever lead to The Company and the long, deep resentment he has for them. And he doesn’t want to think about that now, when he’s got so much on his plate already, trying to rebuild his campaign. He thinks it’s funny though, that an organization that’s so well known within the government, is one that continually slips through their fingers when Zach knows some of the things he knows.   
  
He basically built his entire career with the knowledge that maybe one day he’ll have a hand in bringing them down. It was a big goal, a basically unattainable one, born of teenage angst and anger when he was old enough to piece together what might have happened to his parents. But he’s been always determined that as long as he still had breath in his body, he was going to do whatever he could to spite them.   
  
Guilt and regret settles heavy in his gut then. Because that determination probably cost the lives of two of the people working for him. He doesn’t believe for a second that Reg was killed over his gambling debt. And he isn’t sure how Noah got involved with everything, but that boat he was on did not suffer from a malfunctioning engine. Zach lets out a growl. The fucking media, either a big chunk of that social networking was paid off by The Company or they really are that stupid. It further reinforces his mindset and the path he decided a long time ago to pursue.   
  
But it doesn’t stop the several headaches that come with the job. He probably shouldn’t have come to the office tonight, especially since his assistant didn’t show up and the building is mostly empty. Which isn’t unusual because nobody except the people that work directly on this campaign team come in on Saturdays, but usually there’s at least a few more people lingering about. The night staff or a few hanger-ons trying to finish last minute paperwork. He’s hit with a pang of pain again as he remembers how Noah always worked on the weekends. No matter how many times Zach told him he didn’t have to and that he trusts that Noah will get things done on time. He isn’t a slave driver, thank you very much. No matter how much of an inside joke that is between the members of his team.   
  
He decides he needs coffee, the good kind. Not the crap he keeps in his office that he should have probably thrown out ages ago. He goes down to the cafeteria on the fourth floor because it’s got the best, well, everything. He turns to wave to Owen, one of the security guards on duty tonight when he came in, and blinks when he finds he’s not there. His steps falter for a moment before he shrugs, thinking he probably went to the bathroom.   
  
He takes his coffee and sips it as he waits for the elevator to take him back to his floor, closing his eyes in relief. He loves his mom, but he’ll take coffee over tea any day. There’s a ding and he steps outside and walks back to his office, putting the cup down on his desk. He hears the soft sound of his doors click shut but doesn’t think anything of it until someone clears their throat. Zach tenses considerably before whirling around, his blood freezing in his veins at the sight that greets him.  
  
***  
  
Luke watches as Grayson tries to edge around his desk and his eyes narrow. He can see Jim tracking the movement as well. “Don’t even try it. We disabled every single alarm system in the building,” Jim says and Grayson stops trying to get to the trigger hidden underneath his desk, calling for security.   
  
“Did you do something to the security guards downstairs as well?” Grayson glares and Luke has to give to him. He’s pretty fearless.   
  
“No harm came to him, just needed him out of the way, as well as your assistant. So all three of us can have a chat without any interruptions.”  
  
Grayson’s glare turns icy. “What the fuck did you do to Tom?”  
  
“Easy there, tiger. He’s okay, too. Just sent him messages from you, saying that you didn’t need him today and then re-routed all your calls.” Jim is grinning and Luke can tell he’s enjoying this maybe just a little.   
  
Grayson doesn’t seem to find any of it funny though. “Don’t patronize me. Who are you and what the hell do you want?” he finally asks. And Luke sees his gaze flick to him and there’s a slight recognition in his eyes.   
  
Luke’s never met Grayson, he’s only talked to him in passing in conference calls when Luke used to work for his campaign. But he must know what Luke looks like because Noah’s talked about him and had to tell Grayson all about him before he was hired. He sees the moment Grayson completely places his face and he takes a stumble back towards his desk again, a hand going out to brace himself.   
  
Jim softens a bit and takes a step forward, both hands out in a placating gesture. “Hey, we’re not here to hurt you. Or rob you. This is going to sound disgustingly cliché but we’re from the government. Well, I am and he’s--”  
  
“--supposed to be dead,” Grayson finishes him. He’s still looking at Luke like he’s never seen anything quite like him before.  
  
Luke tries a smile. “Surprise?” he finally says.  
  
Jim eyes narrow. “Not helping, Grimaldi.”  
  
“Oh please, like you were doing any better.”  
  
Grayson’s eyes are going back and forth between them but he’s also looking at the doors like he can possibly barrel through the both of them and make his escape.  
  
“I’m Jim Mercer and I guess you know Luke. We just want to talk to you, that’s all.”   
  
Grayson’s eye snap back to Jim and he’s glaring again. “And I’m supposed to believe you and magically cooperate with you because...”  
  
“Because you honestly don’t really have a choice at the moment.”   
  
It’s not the right thing to say but Grayson’s not clutching at his desk anymore and Luke counts it as a good sign.   
  
“Noah’s alive too,” Luke adds softly.   
  
And he can tell that has a better effect because his eyes go wide and his jaw slack. “He is?”   
  
“Yes,” Luke continues, “he’s okay, too. We’ve been hiding out. The entire boat explosion was a set-up. We needed to disappear for awhile. But he’s alive, Grayson, I can promise you that.”   
  
Grayson still looks unsure but Jim steps closer and Luke sees Grayson tense a little. “Look, I know we pulled a huge whammy out on you.” Luke can see Grayson try not to roll his eyes at that, because really, who says that these days. “And you have no reason to believe us whatsoever but we really don’t have time here and we need your help and cooperation.”   
  
Grayson eyes the gun that’s peeking out from inside Jim’s jacket and Jim follows his gaze and slowly reaches for it. Grayson tenses even further, but Jim just pulls it out deliberately so Grayson can track its movements and reaches out for Luke to take it and he does. Luke takes his own out, too. And he places both guns on the table closest to him in plain view. Now they’re both disarmed, Grayson relaxes a fraction.   
  
“I think you know a little bit of why we’re here,” Jim says softly, drawing Grayson’s attention back to him. Jim’s eyes are open and earnest and very blue and Luke sees the moment Grayson gets swayed by it. Luke can’t really blame him though, he’s fallen for that look more than once in the past.   
  
“Yeah, I do,” Grayson says, just as softly. “Kind of figured when you came back from the dead.” He nods at Luke. “And then mentioning the explosion. I never believed the story about that for a minute.”  
  
Jim’s smile is big when he says, “Smart man. Can we talk now?”  
  
Grayson swallows but doesn’t make a move to step away, where he’s standing quite close to Jim now. Jim doesn’t move either.   
  
“Yes. Um.” He pauses. “I assume you’re here to talk about The Company.”  
  
Luke nods, impressed. “Yeah.”   
  
“Well, if you guys are really who you say you are, then you probably stereotypically know all about my past.”   
  
Jim grins brightly at him. “Yup. We do. But we don’t know everything, and that’s where you come in.”   
  
Grayson stares at him for a minute and Jim stares back. Luke feels like he’s intruding on something private and a smile tugs at his lips.  
  
“Okay. What do you want to know?”   
  
“Do you know anything about the reasons why The Company were after your parents?”   
  
Grayson sighs and finally moves to the chair closest to his desk and plops himself down. “I’ve searched what I felt like my entire life so far trying to find answers. And all I know is that my parents knew something about these documents, or information being kept really closely guarded in some special place belonging to the families that have pledged themselves to The Company.”  
  
Luke’s heart rate starts to speed up and he sees Jim shift slightly too. “Did you find anything about where this info was being kept? Like a compartment? Anything distinguishable?”  
  
Grayson rubs at his forehead with one hand. “They were kept in some kind of locked device, rectangular, like a box.”   
  
“Black boxes?” Luke asks quickly.  
  
“I think so. I’ve never actually seen it, just found old papers and records my dad kept in one of the boxes my aunt gave to me when I was old enough. The Company’s name there, over and over. Like he wanted to expose them, let people know about them even after he died.”   
  
Jim licks his lips and Luke sees Grayson’s distraction. If they survive this, he’s going to be doing some serious teasing later.   
  
“Grayson--”  
  
“Zach. Please,” Zach interrupts.   
  
Jim smiles. “Zach. We’re going to need to see those records and everything else your parents had dealing with The Company.”  
  
Zach shakes his head. “No need. I’ve read them over so many times that I’ve memorized them all. It’s not much, just bits and pieces. Not enough to really turn anything in, but I knew somehow there was always more between the lines my father wrote. So ask me.”  
  
And Jim does. He asks him everything about anything remotely mentioning the black boxes and where they might be located.   
  
“The one that my parents stumbled on belonged to a family called Bayard. They lived in Wisconsin. I don’t know if that’s any help.”  
  
“No, that’s good. We at least know another location where one might be. We can add it to the other potential places we suspected, like the info we found leading to Kansas and one in France.”   
  
“But the Bayard one is not the one we want,” Luke tries not sound disappointed because it’s still a lead.   
  
“No, it isn’t,” Jim agrees. But we know for sure now one exists in Wisconsin and if we scout that one out, it might give us another lead to the one belonging to Grimaldi.”   
  
Zach straightens. “So there  _are_  more than one of these compartment things?”   
  
“Yes. Why?”  
  
“Because you’re right,” he nods to Jim. “My father also mentioned that the location of some others might be connected from one family to another, as in when you find one, they’re probably clues as to where the other one is. Like a treasure hunt.”  
  
Luke’s eyebrows shoot up. “An actual clusterfuck of a treasure hunt filled with conspiracies and plans to undermine the government. Nice.”  
  
“We need to head to Wisconsin as soon as we can then. Need to take a look, see if we can find remotely anything related to the Grimaldis,” Jim says. “Was there anything else?”  
  
Zach nods. “He mentioned Cardiff in Wales once. And it was circled like a million times. And he wrote a note about it being ‘next’ and that’s it. Whatever that means.”   
  
Luke feels a thrill go through him. “Do you think that can mean where the next black box is located? That he already figured it out?”   
  
Jim’s eyebrows furrow. “Maybe. But how did he know without going to look?”  
  
“Maybe he did go, and just never mentioned it in any of his findings.”   
  
“He was gone a lot, but whenever I asked my mother where he was off to, she always just said business trips,” Zach supplies.   
  
“It’s worth a shot, Jim,” Luke says. “Maybe one of us can go to Wisconsin and the other to Cardiff, cover all the bases.”  
  
Jim shakes his head. “No. Too risky, we can’t split up. Not for this. Hell, we should have Mayer with us even now.” Luke’s eyes narrow and Jim grimaces, already regretting what he said, knowing it was a low blow.   
  
“Right. Well, I shall defer to your brilliant expertise then.”  
  
“Shit. Luke, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”   
  
Zach clears his throat, awkward and uncomfortable.   
  
Jim turns to him and offers a soft smile. “Thank you, Zach. Seriously, you’ve been a big fucking help. I could kiss you right now.”  
  
And Zach blushes suddenly and ducks his head and even Luke has to smile at that.   
  
“Yeah, well. It’s not like you gave me a choice remember?” But he’s smiling too.  
  
And Luke is hit with a sudden pang of missing Noah so much, he has to close his eyes for a moment. He opens them again to find Jim and Zach still staring each other, both with stupid smiles on their faces and it’s Luke’s turn to clear his throat.  
  
“Should I leave you two alone or--” Luke does a mental dance of victory when he sees  _Jim_  blush. Because Jim  _never_  blushes.   
  
Jim takes a step back and rubs a hand across the back of his neck. “Right.”  
  
Luke takes pity on him. “So I guess we’ve decided we can’t split up. And we can’t just send a team of yours to one of the places because one of us has to be there to make sure things don’t get fucked up. Plus, each box is guarded heavily by a Guardian. I don’t know even know how your father got close, Zach.”   
  
Zach shrugs. “I don’t either. But he got close enough, and he and my mother paid for it.”   
  
There’s a pause and then Jim lays a hand on Zach’s shoulder and squeezes and Zach gives him a grateful look.   
  
Jim turns to Luke and says, “Any ideas?”  
  
“Yeah. But it’s more of a hunch and it’s a gamble. But I say we go to Cardiff. We already know that the box in Wisconsin belongs to the Bayard family. At least in Cardiff, we’ve got a better chance of discovering another one that might belong to the Grimaldis. Or more information leading to another box.”  
  
Jim thinks it over. “Luke, why not just go to Wisconsin and retrieve that one? It’s also got information that will more than implicate The Company.”  
  
Luke tries not to grit his teeth because logically he knows Jim’s correct. But he doesn’t just want to see The Company taken apart, he specifically wants Damian. After everything, all the lies on top of even more lies, and how over a year ago, Damian almost took away the most important thing in his life. Again. And he didn’t even blink an eye.   
  
This is more than just The Company for him, it’s his way of cutting Damian out of his life for good. Hitting him where it hurts the most. He needs that Grimadli box, and all of Damian’s specific crimes and his involvement dating back before Luke was even born.   
  
“I need the Grimaldi box,” is all he says.   
  
Jim’s eyes search his face but seems to get it and nods grimly. “All right. But if you get your ass blown up,  _again_ , don’t expect me to save it _again_.”  
  
Luke smirks. “As if you can ever stay away anyway.”   
  
Jim smirks back and Luke sees Zach shift.  
  
“So have you two--I mean--are you two--” he trails off and Luke laughs, he can’t help it.  
  
“A long time ago and it wasn’t anything serious,” Luke answers.   
  
Jim smiles and he turns back to Zach and leers. “Why? Are you interested, Grayson?”  
  
“If only your cock is actually as big as your ego.”  
  
Jim’s jaw drops and Luke is laughing so hard he doesn’t even hear the opening of the doors until it’s too late.  
  
“Zach, darling, why are there no security guards out front? If you’re going to be working this--” She never finishes because Lucinda Walsh’s entire face drains of color, eyes going from Luke to Zach, to Jim, and finally back to Luke before promptly falling to the floor in a dead faint.


	5. Part Four

_Part 4_  
  
Noah smiles as he feels Luke's mouth drop an open-mouthed kiss against his jaw, skim his lips across Noah’s cheek. He leaves a trail of warmth down his temple and Noah turns his head to expose his throat. Luke breathes across his skin, hands gliding down his side. The heat follows and Noah makes a noise. It's almost painful but Luke kisses his arm, his chest and Noah lets all the air out of his lungs.  
  
"You have to wake up, baby."  
  
Luke whispers in his ear but Noah shakes his head. "Don' wanna."  
  
"It's really important that you open your eyes, Noah."  
  
He doesn't want to. He tries to turn toward Luke, bury himself in his warmth but he can't seem to move.  
  
"Baby, please open them."  
  
Noah pushes through the gray cloud around his head. He opens his eyes and panics when he can't focus. His heart thumps against his chest, momentarily brings back the helplessness he'd felt the first time he'd opened his eyes to darkness. The gray gives to fuzziness and he gulps in air, moans when it brings pain. His throat is on fire, body aching all over. His vision clears in bursts until only the edges are blurry. He snaps into his mind, memory of what happened rushing to the forefront and his eyes fall on the still prone body on the now stained wood floor.  
  
They'll never get the stain out.  
  
He laughs and grimaces when he tastes copper at the back of his throat. He finds it's impossible to move his head to look down at his wounds so he probes gently. His hand comes back red and wet.  
  
This is not good.  
  
There’s warmth sliding down the side of his temple and cheek. He wipes gently at his face and comes back with more red.   
  
This is  _really_  not good.   
  
Noah tries to think through the rolling storm in his head, the call of the darkness luring him on but he remembers Luke's voice, forces his eyes to stay open. He flicks his gaze up the stairs. He curses having taken the extra phone up to the room, wishes he'd thought to grab it when he took the gun. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he forces his legs to take his weight, swallows a yell when his body vehemently argues with him for moving. There's something wrong with his ankle but he shoves that aside and drags his way up the stairs.  
  
The process is slow and by the time Noah reaches the landing, his arms are shaking with the strength it takes to keep from giving in and dropping to the floor. He knows that if he gives in now it'll be the last thing he does. Possibly ever. He can't leave Luke. Sweat is beading his brow when he stumbles into the bedroom. His legs give out, head bouncing against the floor, jarring an explosion of light and pain to burst through it. Noah gasps as the bile threatens to rise from his stomach.  
  
He remembers from the basic first aid Luke gave him that nausea is not a good sign.  
  
Head injury probably.  
  
Noah snorts as he gets to his knees and crawls toward the open closet door. Of course there's a head injury. He pushes the door open more and tries to grip on the "escape" bag, his fingers don't want to cooperate but he manages to latch on to one of the handle straps. Pulls and pulls until it budges, scrapes across the door until he can fit his hand inside. The phone is lying at the bottom but it's easier than he expects to manage it. His wrist shoots fire up his arm as he turns the phone on. It blinks to life and Noah watches as the screen comes up.  
  
He stops.  
  
Noah can't think clearly but he knows he can't call Luke. No number. Reid is out of the question. Phone numbers become a jumble in his head. The family...can't know.  
  
Casey.  
  
It's the one number in his head that is complete.  
  
It takes him five tries to get it right, shaky fingers pressing the wrong numbers and his head is swimming, floating away from his body, it feels like --   
  
The phone rings and rings and rings.  
  
"Come on, Case. Please."  
  
Noah isn't sure he says the words, can't feel them leave his throat but he thought them. He wonders if maybe Casey is out, taking Ali to dinner. Or maybe he came to his senses and told Maddie how he feels but he wouldn't do that because that would be too simple and Casey is never easy about his stupid love life. Like the time in high school when he'd asked Cherie and Sasha to the dance and then Noah had to bail him out of the whole situation.  
  
Casey can be stupid, God love him.  
  
"Hello? I can hear you breathing, unknown person, and while a part of me is flattered that I seem to make you pant like that, another, more rational side finds this really creepy. So, if you aren't planning on revealing yourself, I'm hanging up."  
  
Noah pushes sound out. "Case."  
  
Casey gasps on his end. “No-Noah?”   
  
He makes a noise that is part of agreement and part almost a sob.   
  
“Jesus Christ.” It sounds like Casey might be on the verge of his own tears and the side of Noah that is vaguely aware of what’s happening feels a burst of guilt but he can’t deal with that. If he dies then he can’t let Casey beat the crap out of him for pretending to be dead.   
  
He clear his throat and says, “Help. I need your help, Case.”   
  
There’s a lot of noise on Casey’s end and he wonders what it is.   
  
“Where are you?”   
  
Noah shakes his head. “I -- somewhere. It’s an island.” He knows the name because he picked it. “Ni ‘ihau.”   
  
“Was that an actual name of something, Noah, or did you fucking sneeze,” Casey snaps.   
  
“Someone -- they found me and I tried but -- I got -- there’s blood.” Noah isn’t making any sense and he can hear the panic in Casey voice, how it’s gone up in pitch when he said about the blood and things. He wavers a little, slumps down until his head is resting on the side of his bed with Luke.   
  
They won’t be able to come back here.   
  
“I don’t want to leave.”   
  
“Shut up, Noah. And tell me where the fuck you are exactly.”   
  
That doesn’t seem like a logical plan -- to shut up - if Case wants him to give directions. He tries to think of how to do that. “I -- it’s an island.”   
  
“You said that  _already_.”  
  
Oh. Right.   
  
He opens his mouth to tell Casey that he needs to get there but there’s a noise coming from downstairs and Noah stares out of the open door into the hall. They found him.   
  
“Shit. Shit. Shit.”   
  
Casey screams in his ear. “WHAT? WHAT IS GOING ON?”  
  
"I think-," he attempts to get to his feet as the footsteps become clearer but his head is spinning and he doesn't have any strength left. Noah closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. The gun lays next to his feet, though he doesn't remember bringing it with him, and he grips the handle, aims for the door. He isn't going down without a fight.  
  
"Casey."  
  
"Noah?!! What is going on?!!"  
  
"They found me. Just -- tell Luke not to give up, okay? That I love him, alright?"  
  
Casey is frantic. "No! No!! Noah --"  
  
There's a shadow crossing the threshold and Noah shoots, barely misses it but then the lights burst on and he looks up to see another woman at the door.  
  
"Oh, fuck. Really?" He grits out and shakes his head. He cannot kill another --  
  
"Noah. It's me. Zoe." She leans down into his space where he can see her and he's never met her before but he knows what she looks like from Luke. Her voice is familiar, worried but commanding as she gives orders. "Give me that phone."  
  
Casey's voice is tiny through the speaker and he watches as Zoe glares at him while she pulls the phone out of his hand. "Okay, man, stop freaking out. Noah is as safe as he can be right now. Who the hell are you?" She listens, brow furrowing as she listens then looks down at Noah. "You called someone who is supposed to think you’re dead?"  
  
Noah coughs and the coppery taste is even worse. "Well, I didn't have your number, did I? And your cousin is off being a hero and it was the only number I could remember." He means it to be harsh but it comes out with a soft moan at the end and Zoe's anger fades. She turns her attention back to the phone.  
  
"Listen to me, asshole, you call me sweetheart one more time while making vague threats you can't even come close to fulfilling and I will hang up right now. You can call the police to tell them a dead guy called you. Let's do that and put Luke and Noah in even more danger."  
  
Noah doesn't know what Casey says but Zoe's eyes shift back down to him. "I need to get him medical attention and I need to figure out where it won't get him killed so if you--," her eyebrows raise up into her hair as she listens, "Your uncle runs it? You need to be sure he'll do this. I don't have time for fuck ups -- any more fuck ups -- right now."  
  
His eyes are falling closed but Zoe smack his face a couple of times, shakes her head when he focuses back on her face. "Fine. We'll be there in five hours. I'll assess the damage before we take off and get it to you. What's your uncle's name? Okay." She pauses and rolls her eyes. "Of course I won't be strolling in the door, moron. I've -- been there before. Once. Helipad. Five hours."  
  
Closing the phone with a snap, she brings her full attention down to Noah. "You are going to owe me so much, Mayer."  
  
"Already do," he slurs as Zoe hefts him up, gripping his waist and taking all his weight while she makes him walk toward the door, “By the way, it’s nice to meet you, Zoe.”   
  
From the corner of his eyes he sees her face do a complicated dance of emotions before settling in on grudging amusement. "You really are worth it, aren't you?" Noah starts to shake his head but that makes the pain throb even more.  
  
He lets Zoe drag him along, averts his eyes from the body in his hallway.  
  
"Thalia was one of the best," her voice holds a note of sadness but then she says, "so I have to say I am pretty fucking impressed you survived."  
  
Noah snorts. He's not sure that he has yet but he shrugs and says quietly, "You have to do what you need to."  
  
They step outside of the house. There's a small plane sitting right on the beach. Noah glances over at Zoe best he can. "Either I'm dying and seeing shit or you really are this good."  
  
Zoe smiles and it looks so familiar, so much like the one he loves completely that he's taken by surprise. "I'm not good, babe. I am fucking amazing."  
  
Noah would laugh if he could but breathing is becoming increasingly hard. "We -- think I'm gonna pass out, Zoe."  
  
"No shit, man. I don't even know --" She manages to wipe a hand across his forehead and guides him toward the plane. "We'll get you fixed, Noah. I promise."  
  
He doesn't know if that’s true but he appreciates that at least she means it.   
  
***  
  
"Lucinda."  
  
Lucinda struggles to muddle her way out of the darkness of unconsciousness. Grayson's voice keeps calling her name and there's a thought needling at the back of her head that she needs to open her eyes. There's something...  
  
Her eyes snap open and Grayson's face swims into focus. He seems relieved when she looks at him. "Jesus, Lucinda. You scared the hell out of me for a second."  
  
She remembers fainting and falling on the floor. Someone's moved her to the couch she'd helped Grayson pick out. She can smell the leather. She can feel the softness under her head. She knows it is Saturday. She knows who the president is. That her name is Lucinda Walsh. Or at least she thinks that she does knows these things. She may have very well lost her mind.  
  
But it's all too clear in her head and the look on Grayson's face when she looks at him tells her all she needs to know.  
  
It means that the figure she sees hovering just beyond Grayson's shoulder, his face struggling not to show anything, isn't a figment of her imagination.  
  
"Let me get up, please." Grayson starts to protest and she glares at him. "Wait. I shall rephrase that statement. You will move now, Grayson, so that I can stand up and face a truth I need to." Her emotions are a riot. There's a part of her that wants to go to her grandson, gather him in her arms and never let him go. It remembers what it was like to lose him the first time. Hasn't gotten over thinking she'd lost him a second time.  
  
There's the other part that almost hates him for tearing apart their family. Noah never replaced Luke in her heart. Luke  _can't_  replace Noah.  
  
She keeps her eyes on Luke as Grayson helps her to stand. She straightens her suit jacket, brushes the hair from her face. "Did you sacrifice him to save yourself?" Luke flinches at the sound of her voice as much as her words. "Or was he foolish enough to give himself up to keep you alive?" Her voice loses it's steadiness. "How could you? Why? We love you, Luke. How could you lie about who you were? Noah believed in you. Was that the deal? Your freedom for his life?" She wasn't aware of all of the details but Holden had dug up enough to know that Luciano's return had never been about them. That they had never known the boy he really was. Or the man he'd become. She feels ill at the thought.  
  
Luke shakes his head, steps closer. "Lucinda."  
  
Grayson stands next to her and she turns on him. "And you knew!"  
  
"I -- I didn't know, Lucinda. I found out today."  
  
She looks back at Luke. "Did you kill him?" She needs to know.  
  
Luke's face turns red and he takes one step toward her but there's another man next to him all of a sudden, holding him in place.  
  
"Grimaldi."  
  
It doesn't stop Luke from saying. "You -- I would never hurt him. Ever."  
  
Lucinda's head swims a little and she sways on her feet. Grayson reaches out but Luke beats him to it, grips onto Lucinda's shoulders. She brings her gaze up to his and there's a wetness in his eyes, lip trembling slightly, voice hoarse when he says, "Please believe me. I love him, Lucinda. I would do anything to make sure he stays with me."  
  
Her breathing is fast but she holds on to his arm, feels tears she doesn't realize forming, fall down her cheeks. "Do you have any idea what -- I thought you were –," Lucinda shakes him, pulls away and points a finger in his direction. "You have put us through hell. You and Noah don't -- oh, god. Holden." She turns to her purse but Luke's hand grips her arm gently.  
  
"Lucinda, no. You- you can't. No one can know. Not yet."  
  
She pushes down on the anger, pulls her arms away from Luke. "I am not going to let them think you're still dead."  
  
"Mrs. Walsh. If you contact anyone, it'll put Luke and Noah in danger." The man that had tried to stop Luke says and she glares at him.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
He doesn't answer her, staring right at Luke, waiting for him to say something Lucinda supposes.  
  
"I want to see Noah."  
  
Luke shakes his head. "No. Not gonna happen, Lucinda. Not right now. You have to trust-"  
  
The laugh she gives is mirthless. "Do not even attempt to use those words, Luciano. I am not in the mood."  
  
She flicks her gaze from one face to the other, catches the worry on Grayson's, the anger on Luke's and settles on the stranger's calm if slightly amused face. "Let's start from the beginning." She steps forward and directs her gaze on him. "Lucinda Walsh. Tell me what my grandsons have gotten involved in."  
  
He studies her face then grins, throws her off for a moment as he turns to Luke. "This is totally where you get it from isn't it, Grimaldi?"  
  
  
***  
  
"Where the fuck are they?" Casey stares up at the night sky, wishing a plane or helicopter or a fucking TARDIS into view. "She said it would take five hours to get here. It's been nearly six." He shivers, pulling his jacket tighter over his frame and keeps trying to make Noah appear with his mind. "I shouldn't have trusted her."  
  
Chris shifts back and forth on the balls of his feet, glancing up at the sky periodically before looking back down at his Ipad, reading the notes that had been emailed to him on the extent of Noah's condition and frowns. It sounds really not good at all. He hasn't said anything to Casey but if Noah makes it to Chicago alive it'll be a miracle. "It's a windy night, Casey. They'll get here."  
  
Of course if that happens then Chris feels confident enough in his own skills that he can keep him that way.   
  
"Maybe I should call Reid."  
  
Chris's head snaps up and he glares at Casey, biting out a resounding, "No. Absolutely not."  
  
Casey pauses and gives him a look but Chris stares hard, making Casey relent. "Yeah, sorry."  
  
They never talk about it. Not since the night Casey had found Chris drunk and the whole stupid story had come tumbling out of him. For some reason he wants Casey to know that he is fine. Now.  
  
"That's not why."  
  
It's Casey’s turn to give him a look.  
  
"Okay. It's not the most important reason. Reid and Noah...were close. It would be like having your friend Luke here,” he ignores the face Casey makes, “In the way, demanding things we can’t give him. Only worse because Reid is a control freak with a medical license who would want to take over the whole situation. You said Noah can't afford to have people know he's alive."  
  
Casey chuckles softly. "I can assure you having Luke here would be five hundred times as worse. I don't know him too well but I'm pretty sure he would kill anyone that got in between him and Noah."  
  
Chris gives Casey a soft smile. “That’s love for you.”   
  
He still has no idea what the hell is going on and if he’s honest, he really doesn’t want to know the truth. All he knows is that Casey never comes to him for help so if his nephew asks, he isn’t going to say no. Even if it does involve Reid Oliver in any capacity like he knows this will eventually. Noah deserves the best chance he can get and by the looks of the report of injuries that was sent to him, he’ll need it.   
  
“It has to be after everything he gave up.”   
  
Chris glances up, tilts his head at the faint sound of a plane and doesn’t smile as he says, “I hope he was worth it.” Some people aren’t. But others...  
  
Casey nods. “Me, too.”   
  
The noise he'd heard earlier gets louder and Casey points to the distance.  
  
"There!"  
  
Chris makes out the shape of a small plane as it heads toward the building. He grabs the back of Casey's jacket, pulls him out of the way and near the entrance of the roof. The plane's sounds are muffled suddenly, near silent as it hovers over the loading dock of the helipad. He wonders how the pilot managed that trick but it passes as Chris watches it land quietly, He follows Casey as he runs toward it. The door opens and a slight figure pauses at the door, glancing from one of them to the other. "Which one of you is the actual doctor?"  
  
Chris steps forward.  
  
"Get your ass up here, doc. He isn't looking good."  
  
Casey tries to get ahead of him but Chris shakes his head, points to the gurney. "I need you to get that near the door." He sees that Casey is going to fight and cuts him off before he can. "Casey, I don't know how I'm going to find Noah. We need to get him inside immediately. This  _is_ how you can help him."  
  
He turns toward the plane, doesn't even wait until the stairs have completed unfolding before rushing in. Chris takes in the scene: Noah reclined on across a row of seats, eye glazed and feverish. He looks over at Noah's -- rescuer and she shakes her head. "He says he can't feel anything."  
  
"Damn it. Okay, um--" he pauses and looks at her expectantly until she responds with "Zoe."  
  
"Zoe, I need you to help me carry him off the plane. We need to be careful on the stairs." Noah's skin is hot against Chris' fingers; he makes an unhappy sound at the sensation. "It's okay, Noah. We're going to do our best to make it stop hurting." He meets cloudy blue eyes and smiles. "I hear that if I let something happen to you, your boyfriend will not be pleased." Noah's eyes sparkle at that and Chris feels a pang of envy in his stomach. That's the kind of emotion he wishes someone had for him.  
  
"We're going to make sure you make it through this because I like being in one piece and alive."  
  
Noah's gut wound is covered in bandages, blood soaked, and haphazard but at least they're stemming off any infection. His feet are covered as well and Chris can see the bruises down his face, on his sternum. He opens Noah's shirt and grimaces at the black and blue smudging most of his skin. There's a distinctive bloating to his stomach that sends alarms blaring in his head.  
  
"He's bleeding."  
  
Zoe's moving one of Noah's arms, adjusting her hold as she says, "You don't say, doc." He meets her eyes and his panic must be evident. She freezes, her own eyes widening.  
  
"Internally. We -- let's move now."  
  
Chris doesn't think about how Noah's chances have plummeted with his injuries and concentrates on getting him inside.  
  
  
***  
  
“I’m sorry to report this, sir. But Agent Thalia is dead. As well as two other agents we believe are CIA.”   
  
“Mayer had protection?”  
  
“Yes, sir. Agent Thalia managed to take them out unawares but failed in completing the rest of her task.”  
  
Damian tries really hard not to scream or possibly shoot this agent in the face because impulsive decisions are not going to help him right now. He forces his frustration down and says, “And Mayer’s whereabouts?”  
  
The agent grimaces and Damian knows it’s not good news. “Gone, sir. We’re not sure where he went. But there was a struggle, and a lot of other blood not belonging to any of the agents. And there was another set of tracks not belonging to either Mayer or the other three agents as well.”  
  
“So he had help getting out.” If Damian hadn’t being already sure, this would have confirmed it. “Please canvas Zoe Grimaldi’s quarters here as well as her entire apartment and report back to me  _everything_  that you find.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”   
  
The agent leaves and Damian pushes away a flash the betrayal he feels and picks up the phone. The other side rings once before picking up and he doesn’t bother with formalities. “We have a problem.”


	6. Part Five

_Part 5_  
  
Luke wants to punch a wall. Or Jim. One of the two would suffice. He only wants to get his grandmother the hell out of the office so they can find out more about what Grayson knows, get the damn black box, and return to get Noah. Things never work out the way they should and he finds himself sitting behind Grayson's desk as Jim explains to Lucinda, in as vague of terms as she will allow, what his role in the whole situation is.  
  
She seems to accept it at face value and turns her attention towards him.  
  
He meets her gaze, steady, and something inside his chest breaks at the love he sees in her eyes. Luke knows that once he finishes his story it won't be there anymore. He looks at Jim. "Can you give us a minute?" Grayson had left the room to give them some privacy. "Go flirt some more with Grayson." Jim flashes him his most devilish smile and wiggles his eyebrow before nodding.  
  
Turning back to Lucinda, he nods once. "It was an honor, Mrs. Walsh."  
  
"I wish I could say the same."  
  
Jim laughs and turns to leave. Luke watches the door close behind then turns to stare at his grandmother head on.  
  
She stares back and waits him out.  
  
"Ask."  
  
She clears her throat as she crosses one leg over the other and folds her hands on her joined knees. Luke thinks it must be intimidating as hell for regular people to come up against Lucinda if she can make  _him_  nervous. "Holden didn't have all the pieces but from what we gathered your motivation for getting close to Noah weren't pure. Correct?" Luke knows he makes a face but gives Lucinda a curt nod and she continues, "What did you want?"  
  
He contemplates lying but what would be use of it now. "I was sent to kill him."  
  
Lucinda blinks. The color drains from her face and she shifts forward, buries her face in one hand. "Christ, Luciano."  
  
"Don't."  
  
She glances at him, watery eyes making his chest constrict. "Don't what?"  
  
"Call me that. I'm not -- they lied to me. About what I was doing all my life. About you. About the Snyders. Do you think they would be above lying to me about Noah? I thought -- let's just say I thought I would be doing the world a favor getting rid of him."  
  
"But you didn't."  
  
"No."  
  
Lucinda looks thoughtful. "Was it because you found out the truth?"  
  
He opens his mouth to say 'yes' but the truth comes tumbling out. "I fell stupidly in love with him and couldn't. The fact that he's the best person I've ever met and nothing like I was told was a bonus."  
  
"Ah, love."  
  
He meets her eyes and sees the light there. He frowns at her. "I just told you I was going to kill Noah."  
  
She raises an eyebrow. "Yes. I was just here ten seconds ago when you said that, darling."  
  
Luke blinks. "I am - I kill people for a living."  
  
It's Lucinda's turn to frown. "I was under the impression that you no longer do that. Noah wouldn't be okay with it. That much I still know."  
  
Shaking his head, he closes his eyes. "Well, no. I don't -- now. At least not unless it's necessary to Noah being okay but -- I killed a lot of people."  
  
He waits for her to tell him that he doesn't deserve Noah. That he isn't good enough for the family that loves him. The silence that follows makes him open his eyes. Lucinda is leaning against the desk next to him. She reaches one hand out to thread through his hair, sad smile marring her lips. "I cannot imagine what you must go through every day with so much unwarranted guilt in your head, sweetheart."  
  
He shakes his head. This isn't how he thought it would be. "But I did kill people."  
  
Lucinda nods. "I know that. I wish I could have protected you better, against your father, against this Company. You would never have suffered like you have if I had done my job."  
  
He stands up. "No. Lucinda."  
  
She shakes her head and waves one hand in the air to stop him. “I couldn’t saved Noah either, could I? Even after years of telling him that I would always -- “  
  
“He knows you love him, Lucinda. I -- we know how much it hurt when you thought --”   
  
Her eyes narrow. "We are not going to speak of it at this time."  
  
"You are angry."  
  
Lucinda rolls her eyes or as close to that as she gets and makes a slightly undignified sound. "Yes, but not because you were manipulated your whole life. I am livid that you let us think you were dead. That Noah let us think you were both dead."  
  
"We had no choice, Lucinda."  
  
"You will explain that to me, won't you?"  
  
Luke nods. "I will but I don't have time right now. Jim and I need to get going."  
  
"Of course." Lucinda straightens and opens her arms, gesture offering something he doesn't understand until she says, "What can I do?"  
  
There's a pregnant pause and then he starts to laugh. "Nothing. You are to do absolutely nothing, Lucinda."  
  
Her responding smile is dangerous. "Oh, but, darling. That was not a request."  
  
"Noah would kill me if you got involved and I refuse to put anyone else I -- to put any more people in danger." Luke sighs when her smile only gets sharper. “What?”, he snaps out, “what is with that smile, Lucinda?”  
  
"Nothing is with it, Luke. I simply think it is amusing that you believe you have a choice in this matter."  
  
***  
  
Casey paces back and forth in front of the swinging doors where Chris had disappeared with Noah. He tries not to think about all the blood seeping through the bandages or how pale Noah had looked as they rolled him into the emergency room. He glances at the clock again, contemplates making the phone call he knows he will have to eventually and then comes face to face with Zoe. That's the only information she gave him besides the fact that she was Luke's cousin. There's so much he doesn't know but since she put in so much effort to get Noah help, Casey will assume she's at least on their side.  
  
For now.  
  
"I need to call Luke. Any news yet?"  
  
He doesn't know what to feel about Luke. The empty pockets of information he carries leads him to believe that he shouldn't want his best friend involved but Casey has never been stupid and he knows that Noah is heart deep in this situation. "Where the hell was he when Noah needed him?"  
  
Something flashes in Zoe's eyes and she gives him an ugly sneer. "Listen. I get that you think my cuz caused all this. Let me set you straight. He saved Noah's life. The people we know -- they are going to want Noah dead. Luke risked everything for Noah."  
  
Casey glares back and snaps. "Because Noah didn't give up his whole fucking life to be with your cousin?"  
  
Zoe seems to deflate slightly, nodding after a moment. "Yes, he did. Without a second thought. I have a feeling he'd do it all over again. This is why I want to make sure he is okay. I don't know what Luke would do without Noah."  
  
He opens his mouth to ask for more details so that he might understand exactly what is happening but the doors opens behind him and Chris comes through, mouth set in a grim line. "It doesn't look good."  
  
Casey's heart stops, literally stops for a beat and falls to his feet. "What's going on, Chris? I thought you said--"  
  
Chris shakes his head. "That email you sent me only covered the damage you could see which in itself is not remotely okay. Noah has a few broken bones, his jaw is dislocated, one wrist is swollen and his feet have severe cuts across the bottom. We found three broken ribs, a bruised kidney, and a displaced ankle. Those are the least of his injuries. He sustained a severe head injury." Chris rubs one hand over his eye and breathes deep before opening them to meet theirs. "What worries me is in the internal bleeding from the knife wound to his gut. It's hit his small intestines which is causing not just bleeding but the release of toxins into his body. Normally I would never put someone in Noah's condition under the knife but it's a risk I need to take. It won't matter in the end if we wait to stabilize him. The toxins will shut his body down before that happens."  
  
Zoe clears her throat. "What are his chances?"  
  
Chris shrugs. "I don't know. The fact that he is still alive tells us that Noah is a fighter. That kind of spirit gives him a better chance than most."  
  
Casey swallows down the rage, the fear that threatens to spill out of him, asks the question he's been thinking. "Can you operate? Don't you need permission?" He can get Lucinda on the phone in seconds if necessary.  
  
Chris shakes his head. "No. I admitted him as a John Doe," he gives Zoe a hard look, "I assume that should be enough cover for the moment."  
  
Zoe's face gives nothing away. "It will do for now."  
  
His uncle looks back at him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "As a unknown patient, we can operate as needed. Don't do anything rash, Case." Chris starts to turn but Casey grabs his wrist before he goes, makes him look back.  
  
"You said head injury."  
  
Chris's eyes go cold, shuttered up. "I'm more worried about not letting his blood kill him first. Once that's taken care of then we'll deal with the rest."  
  
Casey looks down and swallows hard before looking back up. "You know I'll have to call him. He was Noah's doctor before."  
  
Chris nods once. "I know. Wait until this surgery is over. Then you can call." He looks at Zoe, pins her with a glare. "Same goes for you. I do not want hot heads anywhere near this hospital until I've got this under control."  
  
Zoe raises her hands up in agreement. "Believe me when I tell you I have no desire to call Luke and tell him about this."  
  
"How long it take?"  
  
"Hopefully just a few hours."  
  
Chris disappears through the doors again and Casey sits in one of the hard, plastic chairs strewn around the waiting area. He taps his foot impatiently and refuses to start watching the clock. Zoe joins him and they stare at the far wall, their breathing the only sounds in the room. He thinks of asking Zoe something but in the end it would probably be best not to know anything.  
  
"Shit."  
  
Zoe glances at him and gives him a questioning look.  
  
"I know Chris trusts whoever he's got in that room but what about the rest of this hospital? A John Doe usually comes with a curiosity factor. How are we going to keep this a secret?"  
  
"We can't. It'll come out soon enough. All we can do is minimize the damage. I already made a few phone calls. Bought them a few days but --" She meets Casey's stare and shrugs. "It just means we've got to move up our time line."  
  
"Time line?"  
  
"Classified information. If I tell ya, gotta kill ya."  
  
She smiles slightly but Casey's pretty sure that wasn't a joke.  
  
"I swear this is like a bad James Bond movie."  
  
"Oh, baby. We're way more badass than that prissy Brit. Prettier, too."  
  
It surprises a laugh out of him. The adrenaline is wearing off, the exhaustion dropping on him like dead weight. He closes his eyes for a second, leaning his head back against the wall.  
  
Casey shoots up when someone shakes his shoulder. Chris stands over him, scrubs bloody and he has to look away. "What happened?" How long had he been asleep?   
  
The silence forces him to look back but Chris smiles down at him.  
  
"He made it through. We need to keep an eye on him for the next couple of days but for now, he is hanging on." He pulls Chris in for a hug, damn the bloody scrubs and then moves away. Chris rolls his eyes but nods as he turns. "You can see him in about half an hour." He pauses at the door, saying without a glance back, "Call him." Casey doesn’t know which one of them he means but from the way he ran out of the room, he knows which one Chris wishes he  _wasn’t_  talking about.   
  
He sees Zoe pull her phone out of her pocket, take a long breath and set her shoulders before dialing.  
  
Casey looks down at his own phone.  
  
He needs a fucking drink.  
  
***  
  
Luke is still reeling a bit from his encounter with Lucinda. But then again, as he thinks back to their first meeting, this isn’t the first time he’s underestimated her. She always seems to show up when he thinks he’s taken every precaution and has got everything under control. Then she completely pulls the rug from under his feet. But to be fair, he seems to be inflicting his share of trauma on her as well.  
  
He shakes his head and glances over to Jim and Zach quietly talking over in a corner, Lucinda looking over their way as well, a fond look on her face. And he smiles. If anything, he hopes at least his friend can come out of this entire thing with something good, possibly something great. He’s shaken from his thoughts when he feels his phone vibrate and he freezes. He sees Jim do the same from the corner of his eye.   
  
Only one other person, besides Jim, has this number. And it can only be bad news because Zoe knows not to use it unless the situation absolutely calls for it. He picks it up before it can vibrate a second time.   
  
“What happened?”  
  
Zoe doesn’t bother with pretense either. ‘It’s Noah.”  
  
And Luke can’t breathe. He doesn’t know that his knees actually buckle a little until he feels a solid, strong arm come around his shoulders to support him. He’s vaguely aware of Lucinda coming towards him as well.   
  
“Zoe--”  
  
“He’s okay! Well, he’s alive. Just made it through surgery, but he’s been badly beaten, Luke.”   
  
And the world rights itself and Luke’s heart beats again at the reassurance that his boyfriend is  _alive_. But then his voice gets stuck somewhere in his throat at the  _badly beaten_  and  _surgery_. He swallows. “Tell me everything.”   
  
“I got a tip back from one of the contacts I had following Damian’s men, you know, just in case. And he overheard one of them on the phone telling someone that they got the order to take out the target because Alpha wasn’t around. I’m assuming that’s you.” Despite the urgency of the entire situation, Luke can tell Zoe’s smiling and he fights not to roll his eyes. “So naturally I intercepted their calls. Found out they put a hit out on Noah.”  
  
“What? How did they find him? How the fuck they did  _know?_ ”  
  
Zoe sighs and Luke is tired as she probably sounds. “I’m not totally sure. But I think it’s safe to assume that Damian has always suspected that you two weren’t really dead and had his feelers out all this time. It would have only taken a slip up for them to move in.”  
  
Luke closes his eyes and can picture what must have happened. “Noah made a call he wasn’t suppose to.”   
  
“Bingo.”  
  
 _Fuck_. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have left him. Especially not in the mood he was in. God, trying to keep him safe ended up almost getting him killed instead.” Lucinda gasps sharply to his left but he can’t think about that now and focuses on not panicking. “Are you with him now?”  
  
“Yeah. I got to him just in time, hopped a plane as soon as I heard.”  
  
“Zoe, I love you. Thank you. Thank you so fucking much. But fuck, this means you’ve been compromised. God, I am so, so sorry.”  
  
Zoe makes a noncommittal noise and Luke can picture her waving her hand in the air in a no-big-deal-this-is-what-I-do-I-am-a-badass gesture. “I knew what I was getting into when I decided to take off and go to Noah when I found out. Plus, I think Damian has been suspicious of me all year. The agent he sent is dead by the way, your man is pretty badass himself.”  
  
Despite his swirling emotions Luke smiles a little. “Yeah, yeah he is.”  
  
“But she took out two of Mercer’s men before she bit the bullet. Literally.”   
  
Luke glances at Jim and a looks passes between them and Jim nods his head and goes to make call, understanding. “Where is he now? There’s only one hospital on that island, but I don’t know if it’s safe enough for--”  
  
“Actually, we’re not in Ni‘ihau anymore.”  
  
Luke’s heart rate kicks up for what feels like the tenth time today. “Where are you then? How far did you have to move him?”  
  
“Far. Far as in, we’re back in the country. Noah’s friend, that Hughes kid, who is really fucking annoying by the way, Noah called him while he was basically bleeding out. And I got there while they were on the phone. Hughes said he had an uncle that was a doctor and we needed someone we could trust so I took him there.”  
  
Luke feels like he can’t breathe again and he sees the extremely worried glances Lucinda keeps sending his way because he can just imagine what his face must look right now. “He’s  _here_? In Chicago? What hospital? I’ll be there in ten.”  
  
“Luke, I don’t think that’s a good idea, it’s going to cause more problems than we need right now because nobody, other than the handful who need to, knows that Noah is even here. You waltzing in might be more than a little shocking.”  
  
Luke scowls and practically spits out, “You know I’m going to find out either way, Zo, so either you tell me now and save me the trouble or I’m hanging up and showing up there anyway.”  
  
Zoe sighs deeply and says, “Northwestern Memorial. Call me if you have any trouble trying to get in, you stubborn ass.”   
  
Luke feels relief wash all over him. Northwestern Memorial is only about twenty minutes away. “Yeah, I’ll see you.”  
  
“This should be fun, both you and Oliver here at the same time. I haven’t met him yet but I’ve heard stories.” Zoe snorts.  
  
“Wait, why is he going to be there?”  
  
“Hughes is calling him right now too, since he knows Noah’s medical history and was his doctor in the past apparently.”   
  
“Yeah. Right. Okay, I’ll be there soon and I’ll see you. Thanks, Zo. For everything.”   
  
“Where would you be without me?”  
  
“Drowning.”  
  
“Nah, you’ll have your man.”   
  
Luke smiles before hanging up and then goes to face three curious and anxious faces.   
  
Lucinda speaks first. “What the hell happened to my grandson?”  
  
Luke puts a reassuring hand on her arm. “He’s okay. He got--”, he swallows, “--he got attacked by some of the people that’s been after us but my cousin got to him in time and most importantly he’s recovering and he’s  _here_.”   
  
“Then what the hell are we waiting for?” she snaps and turns to the doors.   
  
Luke squeezes the arm he’s got in his grasp and says, “You can’t go, Lucinda, not yet. I’m sorry, it’s still really dangerous especially since Damian would know by now that the hit failed. And you’re not suppose to know any of this. And I know you’ve already made it clear you’re going to be involved one way or another either way. But  _please_  let me just handle this one for now, okay? Please?”   
  
Lucinda’s glare nearly levels him with its intensity but his eyes plead right back and she softens. “All right. But I expect updates as soon as possible. Don’t test me, young man. There’s been enough lies going around.”   
  
Luke nods, grateful. “Okay.”   
  
Then Lucinda is pulling him into a fierce hug, whispering, “I’m glad you’re back home.” And Luke chokes back the tears that been threatening to spill since the call from Zoe.  
  
“Me too.”   
  
She pats him on the head, nods to Jim and Zach, and then she’s gone in a whirlwind of expensive perfume and an air of determination. Luke watches her go for a moment.  
  
“You don’t think she’s off to tell the rest of The Snyders about this, do you?” Jim asks.   
  
Luke’s gaze is still at the doors when he shakes his head. “No, somehow I don’t think she will. Not until she sees Noah at least.” He turns back to Jim. “I need you to go and trace the call Noah made from the phone with this number,” he hands a piece of paper to Jim, “and find out who Noah called that tipped Damian off and if we need to worry about that person.”   
  
Jim takes it. “Luke, let me state the obvious of not liking the idea of you going over there right now.”   
  
“I know,” Luke agrees.   
  
“And maybe--wait--what? Did you just agree with me?”  
  
“Oh don’t look so surprised, Mercer. It’s been known to happen. Look. Noah almost  _died_ , and as much as I gave Zoe hell over the phone, I don’t plan on just bursting in there without a plan. I’m not risking anything while Noah is still in that hospital bed.”  
  
“So you’re not going to see him?”  
  
Luke starts pacing. “No, I am. I just need to come up with a fucking plan first that’s absolutely full-proof.”   
  
“There’s no such thing.”  
  
“Shut  _up_ , James.”   
  
Jim grins unapologetically.  
  
“Hey, so if you guys don’t need me I think I’m going to head home.”   
  
Luke blinks and looks at Zach. He had momentarily forgotten he was there and he smiles at him guilty. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Zach. We shouldn’t have kept you this long.” He goes over and shakes his hand. “Thank you so much for helping, you have no idea.”   
  
Zach smiles back. “Well, it’s been one hell of a night, but you two seem like you’re not  _completely_  crazy so I’m glad to be of service.”   
  
“Ha. Thanks.”   
  
“Do I need to, I don’t know, be available for questioning? I have no idea what the protocol is with top government agencies and high-profile assassination organizations.”  
  
Jim barks out a laugh and claps him on the shoulder, his thumb barely grazing the skin on Zach’s neck. “Don’t worry, Grayson, we’ll always find you.”  
  
It’s meant to be a joke but Luke can see Jim’s eyes are serious even though a smirk tugs at a the corner of mouth, and Zach’s gaze seems to be tracing it. And then an idea springs to his head.   
  
“Actually, Jim, why don’t you make sure Zach gets home okay? Take some of the routes so you won’t be seen. Just in case.”  
  
“Luke, I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone right now.”  
  
“And please, don’t trouble yourself on my account,” Zach quickly adds.   
  
“I think I’ll be fine by myself for a half an hour,” he says to Jim. “And I just don’t want to take anymore risks,” he adds, addressing Zach.  
  
Jim’s eyes narrow at him like he knows exactly what he’s doing. Luke gives him his most innocent expression.  
  
“Okay, then. Do you mind, Zach?”  
  
“Not at all.” He nods a farewell to Luke and stands by the doors, waiting for Jim.  
  
“You.  _Behave_.”  
  
Luke rolls his eyes. “Yes, dad. Seriously, not going do something fucking stupid while Noah’s life is danger, okay?”  
  
“That’s great and all, Grimaldi. But I would also really like it if you didn’t do stupid things that put your own ass on the line as well.”   
  
Luke smiles then. “Yeah, okay I got it. You two be careful, too. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”   
  
“Oh,  _please_ , I’m a professional.”   
  
He goes to join Zach at the door. “Come on, Zachary, lead us to your humble abode.”   
  
The doors to the office shut but not before Luke hears Zach say, “Call me that again, I’ll actually punch you in the face, fancy CIA agent or not.” _Yeah,_  Luke thinks,  _they’ll be just perfect together._  
  
***  
  
Reid storms through the automatic doors of Northwestern Memorial, past the front lobby clerk who calls out to him before realizing he isn't going to stop and calling, he assumes, security. That's perfect. He is spoiling for a fight and he'll get one from anyone at this point. The ride up from Oakdale had been hell and even with his speeding at eighty miles an hour, it had taken over an hour to get to Chicago.   
  
He wants to tear someone to shreds.   
  
Not like he can yell at Noah right now. Ignoring anything resembling fear or any other emotion he is not willing to deal with at the moment, he makes his way to ICU, following the signs into an elevator. He presses the four and waits, hands bunched in fists in his pockets.  
  
The doors open and he looks down both side of the hallways, follows the noise of activity and finds himself in front of a nurses station.  
  
"Sir, you aren't supposed to be here. Visiting hours are over." The nurse has her hand on the phone already but he isn't going anywhere. Pulling out his license and badge from Oakdale, he flashes it at her.  
  
"I'm a doctor."  
  
"Well, that might be true but not here so leave."  
  
Reid has a retort ready but another voice says, "It's okay, Natalie. Dr. Oliver is with me."  
  
His heart does not do some dance in his chest. That's not the way it was ever supposed to work with Chris. He glances back at Chris and hates the polite, blank look that greets him.  
  
"I don't have a consult written on the schedule, Dr. Hughes, but -- it's okay." He rolls his eyes at the sappy expression on the stupid girl’s face. He walks toward Chris but stops a few inches away.  
  
"I see some things never change." He tries for cold but it hits an unpleasant note of anger that he can't justify. Chris and him...that one is all on Reid.  
  
Chris doesn't smile and his eyes close off even more if possible. "I couldn't agree more." He starts walking to the end of the hall and Reid follows behind, fuming. He feels off balance. This isn't the way they normally -- the thought gets shut out when he sees Noah lying on the hospital bed.  
  
"Fuck."  
  
There is a mask covering most of his face, head bandaged, his arm in a sling, bruises marring all of his skin. Reid stills as he looks, doesn't realize he's shaking until Chris's hand steadies him, pulling until they are in the hall. "Reid. You need to calm down."  
  
"I am perfectly calm."  
  
Chris snorts loudly and when Reid looks over --  _there you are._  "You were never a good liar, Reid. It's why you never bother." Chris's hand rests on his shoulder and he concentrates on the words falling from Chris's mouth rather than the weight on his skin. He doesn't want that feeling.  
  
"Why didn't you call me?"  
  
"Because it wasn't your place to be here."  
  
"Yeah, I noticed that –"  
  
Chris takes his hand away, finally, shaking his head and moving two steps back. "I don't care what you feel for Luke. Casey says he has good reasons for not being here right now and I'll take his word." He motions toward Noah with his head. "It's better like this. Noah needs rest. Not to be a referee in a cock measuring war between you and his new boyfriend."  
  
Reid raises an eyebrow. "Like that would even be a contest."  
  
Chris sneers. "I know, baby. But at least your brain is bigger than his."  
  
He blinks and then--  
  
"What the hell are you laughing at, Oliver?"  
  
It's ridiculous. This entire situation is beyond insane. Reid doesn't even know what he thought he was going to do once he got to Noah. Force him to come back and get him killed. Force him to stop loving Luke and come back to him. He doesn't want that at all. He meets Chris's annoyed glance and --  
  
That's stupid flutter again.  
  
He swore he was done with this. Cut it off before it could breathe and grow.  
  
"It's just unexpected of you, Doogie."  
  
Chris huffs out a breath. "Look. You're here. Take a glance at his head scans. Everything seems fine to me but we know that you're the expert in messing with heads." It comes out pissy and Reid smirks at Chris.  
  
"Christopher. I'm flattered."  
  
Chris rolls his eyes again. "Oh, shove it. Just look at these. Then you can go sit and wait until he wakes up." He leaves Reid with the imaging of Noah's head. Reid follows his exit until he can't see him anymore then takes the MRI out of the envelope, suspends it over the light. Nothing is jumping out but he'll find an exam room, take a closer look.  
  
Then he can answer the damn text on his phone to someone's satisfaction.  
  
***  
  
"Is he awake yet?" Reid turns his head at the voice, narrowed glare falling to a woman he doesn't recognize before flicking toward the entrance. The guard Chris posted at Noah's door hovers outside the entrance but he doesn't seem worried about the new visitor. He forces his shoulders to relax, shaking his head once, fixing his gaze on Noah again.  
  
"Not yet. Soon, though. His vitals show that it won't be long."  
  
She takes a seat on the chair across the room from him, leans her head back and closes her eyes. "I'm Zoe, Luke's cousin. You must be the infamous Dr. Oliver."  
  
"My reputation precedes me."  
  
Zoe actually guffaws, which he didn't think people  _did_ , makes him scowl at her but she says nothing else so he lets it go. Noah's pulse is picking up but he doesn't seem to be responding as quickly as he should. It occurs to him that he knows why and makes a face.  
  
"Does Luke even know what happened?"  
  
He can hear the resentment in his voice and knows she has to when her shoulders tense.  
  
"Of course he knows." Her eyes open and she focuses them laser sharp on his. "He doesn't have the luxury of strolling up in here like the rest of us do, seeing as he is one, supposed to be dead and two, got a huge target on the back of his head. He loves Noah too much to risk it no matter how crazy it makes him."  
  
Reid hates that he know she's telling the truth. God knows he can't stand Luke but he did everything in his power to keep Noah alive through the insanity that their lives are. "Maybe we can do something about that."  
  
She squints at him, leans forward in her chair, hands folded in her lap. "Meaning?"  
  
"That he's come up with some hair-brained scheme to sneak your cousin in here."  
  
Reid's gaze flicks toward Chris, follows him as he begins to monitor Noah's progress. "I resent that. My schemes, as you call them, are never hair-brained. They are always brilliant and they always work."  
  
"Like that time you mixed your own version of Red Bull in Chemistry lab and ended up with insomnia for two weeks?"  
  
"I passed finals with flying colors and I don't remember complaining much when you were trying to ‘exhaust’ me enough to sleep."  
  
Chris's ears turn red and Zoe's mouth twitches but she covers it quickly. "Lay it on me. What's the plan?"  
  
"It's a big hospital. Lots of ways to come in and out but only one way I know where almost no one sees you."  
  
Zoe raises an eyebrow. "And that would be?"  
  
Reid grins wide and asks, "You think you can get the keys to the morgue, Christopher?"  
  
Chris is looking at him, eyes wide but Reid recognizes the glint he sees there. "No. Reid, forget it."  
  
"Noah isn't waking up because he doesn't have a reason to and you know it. So. Come on, Doogie. Do it for love."  
  
Chris glares at him, mutters a quick, "I hate you so much," and leaves to do Reid's bidding. Reid grins over at Zoe, motions to her phone with his head.  
  
"You better call your cousin."  
  
Zoe grins back, dials her phone with a glee Reid can appreciate and says, “Hey, coz. Listen up.”   
  
***  
  
Luke is just hanging up his phone when Jim gets back.   
  
“Oh shit. What happened? I was gone less than thirty minutes, why that look on your face?”  
  
“It’s nothing bad. Zoe just called me back and has a plan on how to get me into the hospital without getting detected by staff or picked up by surveillances.”  
  
“Oh. Then what’s with the look?”   
  
Luke shrugs. “I’ve got a feeling she’s taking way too much enjoyment out of this.”   
  
“Ha. Whatever it is, must be fun. You can fill me in in a bit, but first I thought you might want to know who Noah called on that island. I just got the records back on my way from Grayson’s.”  
  
“Tell me.”  
  
“You won’t like it.”  
  
“There has been very little today that I’ve liked, Jim, so just tell me.”  
  
“It was Oliver.”  
  
Luke stills for a moment, and then the anger comes, bursts out of him sharp and loud. “I’m going to fucking kill him! He knew that it was dangerous for Noah to be making any calls longer than the time frame we’ve been given for each line connection. He knew.”   
  
Jim sighs. “Luke, Noah knew too. Maybe it was him who made the mistake. It doesn’t matter anyway, what’s done is done. At least you know Oliver isn’t a threat. And we don’t have to backtrack and cover bases.”  
  
Luke’s still not convinced but he let’s it go. For now. “Whatever. Come on, I told Zoe I’ll be at hospital in twenty.”   
  
They leave the way they came. And as Jim presses down on the gas pedal and they speed out of there, Luke tries to put everything out of his mind except for the thought of finally seeing Noah. Laying his eyes on him so he can see for himself that he’s alive and well. And then Luke is never going to leave him again. Ever.   
  
***  
  
He fidgets and feels a sharp slap to his covered head.  
  
"You're supposed to be dead." Chris hisses above him, or who he assumes is Chris, swinging the gurney around another corner. "Stop moving."  
  
There's no way that Zoe came up with this idea on her own. It's too stupid and petty to be hers. Well, okay, it's not, but he is sure Oliver had something to do with it. Irony and all that.  
  
"Stop talking to a dead guy."  
  
Reid's voice is to his left and Luke grits his teeth. He is going to swing at the motherfucker the first chance he gets. This is all his fault. He could care less what Noah will say at this point.  
  
Chris pulls to a stop. "If you don't shut up, Reid, and help me get him upstairs then you can get the hell out my way."  
  
Luke grins hard.  
  
He likes Casey's uncle.  
  
"I am helping. My idea, remember."  
  
He  _knew_  it.  
  
They stop talking abruptly and Luke can hear voices around them so he keeps his mouth shut and tries to breathe shallow. He figures they are inside one of the elevators by the sound of it. He keeps his eyes closed. Luke prefers the darkness to the glaring white of the sheet. It reminds him of the snow in Russia, of his first kill and it's not a memory Luke enjoys revisiting. The gurney rolls out, turns a few more corners and then it halts. Luke shoves down his panic and doesn't breathe too much.  
  
He doesn't notice the silence until it's pressing in on him. He hasn't moved in a few minutes and there's no sounds to decipher. Maybe he can sneak a look. He nixes that idea. If he's in the hallway and someone sees him he'll a) get caught and b) possibly give someone a heart attack. He compromises by opening his eyes. The light is muted, gray which means they left him in a dark room, more than likely.  
  
Testing the water, he lets one of his hands fall limply to one side and waits. No sounds come from inside room. Luke isn't known for his patience and he figures he'll explain later. He slides the blanket down and sure enough the room is empty, save for the regulation bed and two chairs in the middle of the space. He stands from the gurney, pushing it to one side of the room and paces in a circle, counting to twenty in his head.  
  
If no one is back by the time he's done, he'll go find Noah himself.  
  
Footsteps approach, halting at the door and Luke blends into the corner, stays in the shadow. A head pokes through the slightly open door and someone calls his name softly.  
  
He moves out the shadows, hesitant with the stranger, and flexes his hands into a fist when he enters the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
The other man gives him an amused stare. "Chris."  
  
"Oh. Yeah. Thank you for this."  
  
He hadn't seen Chris on his arrival. The idea --  _apparently_  Reid's -- was that Luke be brought in as DOA. Chris had some friends that owed him a favor and they'd been told it was to be a practical joke. Luke doesn't want to think what that might say about Chris that his friends didn't hesitate at his request.  
  
"Can I see Noah?"  
  
The door opens again and Luke jumps, steps back into the shadows. Reid walks in, closes the door partially and nods toward Chris. "You can bring him now." Luke pushes down his irritation and follows quietly behind. The hallway is clear, nurses station empty and he lets Chris guide him to a private room around the corner.  
  
Luke's gaze falls on Noah's bruised face, the mottled coloring of his chest, the bandages and stitches and rage overtakes him, makes his vision go red. "Oh, god, baby. What the fuck did they do to you?" He runs to Noah's side, taking the hand that isn't in a sling and drops soft kisses on his fingers. "I'm so sorry." He wants to touch Noah badly, aches with it, but can't find anywhere that isn't colored with bruises. Luke moves closer to Noah's head and threads his fingers gently into his hair. Dropping his forehead on the pillow next to Noah's head, Luke breathes deep, closing his eyes and tries to distill Noah's scent from the sickly sweet odor of hospital and medicine.  
  
He hears the door open and Chris whispers to someone. Luke opens his eyes and turns them, narrowed and angry, at the Reid. "You did this."  
  
Reid stops mid-sentence and stares in shock at Luke. It gives him a modicum of satisfaction to throw the great Reid Oliver off his game.  
  
"What?"  
  
Luke straightens, staring Reid down while he keeps contact with Noah. "Did he call you?"  
  
Reid's pause is answer enough.  
  
"They found him because he called  _you_." Luke wants to tear him apart. Logically he realizes that Noah couldn't have known and Reid even less but he can't be mad at Noah -- so Reid will have to do. "Why was he calling you?"  
  
Reid recovers quickly, smirking at Luke. "You jealous, Luke? Yeah, well, if I was an asshole and left the man I claim to love unprotected so the people that want to kill  _me_  got to him, I'd blame someone else too."  
  
"Reid." Chris' voice holds a warning Luke hopes Reid actually hears but no such luck.  
  
"What? He left Noah alone and defenseless."  
  
Luke gently lays Noah's hand down on the bed, covers him with the blanket and turns to Reid, fingers curling into fists. "You don't know the first thing about Noah, do you? He has never been defenseless, Oliver." Luke walks slowly toward Reid and talks quietly. "That's the reason you didn't work, you know? Because you saw him as a victim. Always." There’s a voice at the back of Luke’s head that sounds a lot like Jim saying, _finally getting it, man_ , but Luke ignores it and attempts to set fire to Reid with his mind.   
  
Reid doesn't back down. "And you saw him as a target. Not sure how that will turn out for you."  
  
Chris steps between them, one hand on each of their chests, his voice hard. "Enough. I don't give a fuck what problems you have with each other. This isn't about either one of you. It's about Noah. So why don't we put our dicks away, boys, and choose another day for your pissing contest, okay?"  
  
Chris glares at Luke. "You seem to love him so why don't you concentrate on being here for him. He needs to see your face when he wakes up." He swivels his head toward Reid. "And you. I realize this is hard for you, Reid, with your control issues and all but Noah isn't yours anymore. I think you get that, and most of this stems from the fact that the two of you,” he motions between him and Reid, “are way too alike to even contemplate, but you need to back off."  
  
Reid steps back and Luke lets the tension roll out of his shoulders.  
  
Chris nods approvingly at him. "You have one hour then we have to get you back out. It's not a request, Luke," he says when Luke shakes his head, "I promise that we will let you see him again but we can't take any chances. At least that's what your cousin told me. Is she wrong?"  
  
Luke closes his eyes and shakes his head. Zoe rarely got it wrong. "If I only have one hour then can I get some time alone with him, please?" Reid starts to protest but Chris glares at him and he snaps his mouth shut, opens the door and storms off. Chris stares after him for a minute before looking at Luke, motioning toward the hall. "Thanks for leaving me with that fun ball of anger."  
  
He would apologize but he gets the feeling Chris can handle Reid better than most. "Can't say I'm sorry, man."  
  
Chris smiles. "Honesty. I like that."  
  
Luke waits until he's out of the room before striding back to Noah's bedside. There's an uncomfortable looking chair near the bed and he pulls it forward, reaching for Noah's good hand again and settling in. There's no way he is leaving in an hour, no matter what Chris thinks. He won't be going anywhere until Noah wakes up and Luke gets to kiss him and tell him he's sorry.  
  
He brings his hand to Noah's cheek, caressing his way down until his fingers graze Noah's lips. "Come on, sweetheart. Let me see those pretty baby blues."  
  
Luke stares at the monitors and wishes Noah awake. He can't pray, doesn't believe in it but wishes are something else. He brings Noah's hand up to his mouth, turns it gently to expose the wrist and presses his lips against the steady pulse he can feel there.  
  
"Don't you leave me, Mayer. We haven't even gotten started yet, baby."  
  
He leans his head against Noah's chest, presses his lips on any pale unbruised skin he can find and sniffs back some tears. "I love you so much." Noah shifts and Luke's head snaps up, eyes falling on Noah's face. His brow furrows, his mouth twitching until Luke can see his lips forming a word.  
  
"Baby. I'm here. Open your eyes."  
  
Noah's eyes slide open slowly, looking around the room unfocused. There's a moment that Luke panics when he doesn't seem to be able to see him there.  
  
But then his eyes find Luke's, lighting up and his lips turn upward, forming the words again.  
  
"Luke."  
  
Luke leans down, breathes into Noah's mouth. "I am so sorry."  
  
Noah tries to shake his head but Luke places one hand gently on his chin to stop him. "Don't, baby. You're going to hurt yourself." He keeps his face close to Noah's, locks their gazes together. "I should have been there."  
  
"Luke, no," Noah's voice is hoarse almost inaudible but Luke is close enough to hear him and he scowls.  
  
"Stop trying to make me feel better. I left you there. You weren't supposed to be there alone."  
  
Noah lifts his one good hand up, covers Luke's hand. "Mistake. Mine."  
  
Luke's eyes fall close when Noah's hands stroke over his cheeks. "If something happened to you I --"  
  
"Shut up." Noah whispers and when Luke opens his eyes, he says, "Kiss. Now."  
  
Something bubbles in his chest and he laughs wetly, joins their mouth together soft and sweet. It loosens some of the tightness that’s been there since he’d left Noah. He bites at Noah’s bottom lip, gentles it when Noah groans then hisses. He pulls away, holds Noah’s face in his hands and brushes their mouths together. They lean their foreheads against each other, careful and breathe each other in.   
  
“No more. No more being apart. I promise.   
  
Noah sighs. “Good.”


	7. Part Six

_Part 6_  
  
Luke watches the rhythmic rise and fall of Noah’s chest and the flood of relief he feels at the sight is almost overwhelming. Noah had fallen back asleep about fifteen minutes after Chris came to check on his vitals and up his morphine dosage. Noah had smiled loopily at him a lot after that and had tried to get Luke into bed with him. He smiles fondly at the memory and at Noah’s pout when Luke had kissed his forehead, shushed him, and told him to go back to sleep. One day, he’s going to bust out a bunch of comparison charts that feature Noah and a two-month-old black labrador puppy. He’ll take pictures of Noah’s reactions and send them to all their family and friends. And if Luke’s grinning a little maniacally at his thoughts then well. He can blame it on his bone-deep exhaustion.   
  
He’s tempted to just drop his head on the side of Noah’s bed and take a little nap when his phone vibrates and he tiredly takes it out. He nixes the napping idea when he sees it’s a text from Zoe, telling him to meet her back at the room he came out of. He stands and brushes a kiss to Noah’s temple. “I’ll be back soon, baby.”   
  
Noah shifts a little and mumbles before his breathing is even again. Luke walks to the door and peers outside and finds the agent undercover discreetly guarding the entire hallway by Noah’s room, but otherwise it’s empty. He heads out and walks back the way he came, avoiding the late night staff and nurses.   
  
When he reaches the room, the door is already unlocked and he slides right in, eyes immediately finding the outline of Zoe’s frame before his vision is blurred by long dark hair and then his arms are full of his cousin, her own arms tight around his neck. Luke hugs her back just as fiercely.  
  
“Over a fucking year, Luke. I don’t think we’ve gone a month without seeing each other, let alone an entire fucking year.” Her words come out mumbled from where she has her face pressed against his shoulder.   
  
He pulls back a little and gives her a watery smile. “I missed you, too, ballerina. So much.”   
  
Zoe doesn’t even reprimand him for the nickname, her smile just as watery. Then she steps back but keeps him at arm's length, her gaze on him appraising. “You’re blonder.”   
  
Luke laughs out loud at that. “As observant as ever I see.” She pulls back more to punch him in the arm. “Ouch, okay okay.”   
  
She smirks at him before sobering. “How’s Noah?”  
  
“Doped up on drugs but he woke up and was coherent and doing better so fucking  _thank you_  again, Zo, seriously.”   
  
“And you need to stop with the overwhelming gratitude,  _seriously_. It’s ruining my street cred.”   
  
Luke snorts. “Half that street cred is from me and don’t you forget it.” He looks her over as well and she’s gotten thinner and looks so overwhelmingly tired that Luke guides her to one of the chairs to sit down. He drags another next to her and plops himself down, arm going around her shoulders. “You look like you haven’t slept in weeks.”  
  
“Feels like years.”  
  
Luke feels a heavy amount of guilt. “I’m so fucking sorry, Zoe. I dragged you into this entire fucking thing when you wanted nothing to do with it.” He yelps in surprise when he feels another punch on his arm but this time a lot harder. “What the hell was that for?”  
  
Zoe’s eyes are narrow and hard. “You actually think that I was going to let anything happen to you? Let you fucking  _die_  because you actually had the balls to want out? And then find the means to do it? I wish I was that strong.” She looks so incredibly small at the moment and Luke gathers her back in his arms.   
  
“You’ve always been strong, Zo. And everything you’ve done this past year for us just proves that. And fuck, I haven’t even asked yet, how are you holding up?”  
  
Zoe shrugs. “Better than Noah. Luke, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”   
  
Luke frowns. “At least tell me where you’re hiding out.”  
  
“I’ll tell you when you absolutely need to know, okay? Worry about one thing at a time. Like getting that fucking box so we can finally put Damian in his coffin and nail it shut.”  
  
Luke thinks he should feel some kind of remorse or regret over that but he doesn’t. After everything, he’s got nothing but anger and resentment and something dangerously close to  _hate_  left in his gut for his father. He feels Zoe lay her head on his shoulder and he tightens his hold on her, thoughts back to Noah in that hospital bed. He lays his own head on top of Zoe’s and allows his eyes to drift shut. If only for a moment.  
  
***  
  
Casey rubs at his eyes, gulping down the coffee and grimacing as it burns its way down his throat. He has never missed a latte from Java so much in his life. The nurse behind the nurse’s station glances up as he approaches, smiling kindly and Casey makes a mental note to ask her name later. He cracks a smile as he thinks that Noah would tease him for his Florence Nightingale obsession. The worry returns as quickly as it had gone and he picks up his pace.  
  
He wants to see Noah. Guilt rolls around in his stomach at the thought that something might have happened while he’d been running around following Lucinda’s orders. Of course he knew better than to ever say no to that woman so it was essential.   
  
Reaching Noah’s room, he spots Zoe sitting in a chair outside his door. Chris had posted a guard as discreetly as he could in front of Noah’s door but Zoe was never far away. He stops in front of her and she glances up from the magazine she seems to be skimming. "Hughes."  
  
Casey resists the urge to roll his eyes because she saved Noah and for that he would be indebted to her forever probably. But he can’t help the tone he uses as he asks, "It’s a family trait, right?"  
  
She gives him a questioning look.  
  
He waves a hand at her person. "The whole stick up the ass thing that you and Luke have going; I assume it comes from the whole killing people for a living but it gets old really fast."  
  
Zoe smirks at him. "We supposed to become best girlfriends, Hughes? You wanna do my nails and share your secret on the quarterback?"  
  
Casey tilts his head and returns with a quick, "I prefer the artistic type but Kyle did have a great ass when he was in uniform."  
  
He startles when that surprises a laugh out of her and relaxes his stance. "What are you doing out here anyway? Where’s Louie?" He feels more secure with the huge bodyguard standing in front of the door. It probably means that he is a little sexist but he can’t imagine Zoe taking on the kind of people that are following Noah.  
  
It takes him a minute to remember that  _she is_  very much like one of those people that’s following Noah and that is an even scarier thought. She hadn’t been happy when Chris had said no to her keeping guard of Noah’s room. He glances around suspiciously, "You didn’t kill Lou and hide the body did you?"  
  
"Don’t be absurd. I would never simply hide a body, Hughes. That could leave a mess."  
  
Yeah, okay, she’s terrifying.  
  
Motioning toward the door, she looks back down at the magazine in her hands. "The Doc and Oliver snuck Luke in to see Noah. Wisely I was put in charge of watching over them until they come back to sneak him out." She snorts at the end of that sentence, shaking her head quickly, "Not that they will actually get him to leave now but it’s nice to have a dream."  
  
Casey isn’t really listening, getting stuck on the fact that Luke came out of hiding to see Noah.   
  
"Isn’t that – couldn’t that get him killed?"  
  
Zoe looks up and makes a face. "Yeah, don’t remind me." She shrugs and gives him a warm smile that throws him for a moment. "Love makes you stupid."  
  
He remembers.  
  
His eyes keep flicking toward the door, hands twitching to go in there and check on Noah.   
  
Casey wonders if Luke was the cure his friend needed to wake up. Zoe pretends not to notice as he gets closer and opens the door slightly. Casey breathes out when he catches sight of Noah sitting up in bed. He closes his eyes for only a second. Opening them once more, he studies the way Luke is curled up on the edge of Noah’s bed. They don’t notice him stepping into the room, completely engrossed in each other.  
  
Luke ducks his head to kiss Noah and –  
  
Casey’s never seen that look on his best friend’s face before.  
  
He thought he knew what Noah looked like when he was in love.  
  
Luke’s head snaps up when Casey makes a noise and before he can blink there’s a gun aimed at his head. Noah grabs at the gun, shoving it down and out of range of Casey.  
  
"Luke."  
  
"What the fuck, Casey!"  
  
"How the hell did you get that gun in here?"  
  
Luke stares hard at him. "Are you for real asking me that question, man?"  
  
Touché.   
  
They stare at each other from across the room and Casey doesn’t know what to do with every emotion rolling around inside his chest. He wants to hate Luke. Essentially every fucked up thing that’s happened to Noah in the last year is Luke’s fault. The part of him that fears Noah’s luck will run out soon and he’ll come back to them in a body bag for real is yelling at him to kick Luke out. He can convince Lucinda to help him get Noah out of the country. Reid would be on board of that train.  
  
Noah turns his head, tugs at Luke’s sleeve until he stops glaring at Casey and when he looks at Noah, his face softens, eyes lighting up and –  
  
There’s no way Casey’s going to be able to keep them apart.  
  
Somewhere inside his mind, past the anger and fear, he knows he doesn’t want to.  
  
"Alright, Grimaldi, back off my best friend for a second and let me in there." He muscles past Luke, grabbing onto the hand that Noah extends to him and as gently as he can manage, leans his head against Noah’s. "If you ever pull a fucking stunt like this again, Noah, I swear to all that is unholy I will fuck you up so hard, you will never recover."   
  
Luke’s make an angry noise and Casey almost smiles.   
  
Yeah, it might be okay between the two of them eventually.   
  
Noah has one hand on Casey’s shoulder, pulls him in for an awkward hug because Casey has to angle sideways as not to hurt him. They stay that way for a long time. Eventually he hears Noah whispering and leans down closer.  
  
"I’m sorry, Case."  
  
He knows that much. "Yeah, well, we’ll work out how you’re going to earn my forgiveness after we make sure the two of you aren’t being hunted down like wild dogs or whatever."  
  
Turning to Luke, he hesitates a moment before pulling him into a hug too. Because maybe he was the reason this was happening but Casey wasn’t stupid. Luke risked everything he ever was and his entire life to keep Noah safe. That’s not something Casey isn’t going to appreciate.  
  
Fucking Grimaldis.  
  
Luke freezes but then wraps his arms around Casey and says a quiet, "I – thank you for being there when he needed you."  
  
Casey shrugs into their hug. "That’s my job."  
  
The door opens and they part to see Reid walking in with a worried Chris following behind. "We might have a problem."  
  
Chris stops mid-sentence, grinning when he notices Noah staring at him. "Hello there."  
  
Reid steps to Noah’s side and Casey grabs at Luke’s hand, holding him back when he makes a move toward them. "Give him a minute."  
  
There’s something close to a growl coming from Luke and Casey will seriously have to make fun of him hardcore later about his jealousy. It’s fucking hilarious but he knows this isn’t the time or place. Zoe’s hovering at the door, glancing between the bed and her cousin’s face. He sees her hide a grin behind her hand and feels much better about thinking of making fun of Luke. It’s apparently expected.  
  
Noah reaches up and pulls Reid in a hug. Luke makes a disgusted noise, saying, "Really?"  
  
Casey turns and Noah is rolling his eyes, waves Luke over. "Stop being ridiculous, babe," he says, voice raspy and barely above a whisper.  
  
Luke sits back on the bed, takes Noah’s hand in his, kissing his fingers gently before turning to look at Chris. "What’s the problem?"  
  
Chris's face shifts into doctor mode like Casey calls it but he catches the almost jealous glance he’d been giving Reid and Noah. They were going to really work that shit out when this was over.  
  
"Noah can’t stay here."  
  
Casey frowns. "He almost died, Chris."  
  
“I did not almost die.”   
  
Zoe makes a disbelieving noise in the back of her throat and Casey’s mouth drops open.  
  
“It was close enough, okay?”  
  
“Okay, let’s not argue semantics right now. The problem we have right now is that I can’t actually keep Noah hidden from the staff forever. Some of them are already starting to ask questions and none of us can afford that.”   
  
Zoe steps into the room. "What do you suggest?"  
  
He meets Reid’s gaze and after a long moment of tension, Reid nods at him. "Reid had an idea."  
  
"Of course he did."  
  
Noah shushes Luke and looks expectantly at Chris. "What’s the plan?"  
  
"We’re moving to – I guess you can call it a safehouse. Somewhere you can recover and no one will think to look for you.  
  
Casey can’t imagine where the hell that would be but if it gets Noah safe then he is all for this plan.   
  
***  
Chris's apartment sits on the top floor of a high rise that overlooks Lake Michigan. Luke stares out the huge windows, taking in the skyline and the view of the water. He moves one of the arm chairs closer to the window, angles it one way and then the other. Noah needs to be comfortable. He taps one foot against the floor and glances at his watch. Chris has said it would only be about an hour. They should have been back by now. There's a sound from behind him and he turns to see Zoe leaning against the door frame that leads into the bedrooms.  
  
"You got it bad, coz."  
  
He sticks his tongue out and Zoe's smile is lovely, her laugh bright. She walks into the room and flops down on the couch, motioning to him, "Come and have a seat. He'll be here soon." He makes his way over and sits with his back on the arm of the chair, feet in Zoe's lap. There's a huge flat screen on the other side of the room. He's reminded of when they were both sixteen, stuck together in the mausoleum they called home, with only each other as company. They spent most of those formative years ditching their tutors and hiding away in one of the libraries. Luke remembers that Zoe loved watching old cartoons best. Leaning over he picks up the remote and channel surfs until he finds the channel that shows cartoons. He watches Zoe's face light up, her smile turning up at the corners and she nudges one of his feet, "Oh my god, Luke. It's He-Man!"  
  
Luke starts to laugh, ignoring Zoe slapping his knee and telling him to shut up. "I forgot about your He-Man obsession."  
  
"What? You have blonde hair. He has blonde hair. You lived in a castle. He lives in a castle. He has a kick ass sister."  
  
"I have a kick ass sister," he says and doesn't miss the slight blush in her cheeks.  
  
They watch an episode of He-Man and crack up at the horrible animation. Zoe is halfway through a story about the time she'd managed to take out an attacker with a sword she swore was the same as on the show when the door opens and Reid walks in. Luke is on his feet in seconds, ignoring the way Reid glares at him. His eyes focus on Noah shuffling in the door followed by Chris. Luke frowns as he limps toward him, walks faster so he can meet him halfway and touches Noah's face as soon as he's in reach.  
  
"Hi, baby."  
  
Noah's mouth creases upward, eyes bright as he looks at him. He can't quite smile without it hurting yet so Luke caresses his cheeks. He leans in as Noah speaks.  
  
"That's my line, Grimaldi."  
  
Luke feels his face soften and knows everything he's feeling shows when he hears Reid gag somewhere on the other side of the room. He scowls at him over his shoulder but Zoe beats him to the punch. "Green does not become you at all, Oliver." Reid turns his glare on her and she gives it right back.  
  
Chris laughs softly behind Noah, helping Luke take Noah's coat off , “Jesus, it’s like having my own personal daycare class,” and then leaves them alone as he heads into what Luke assumes is his own room.   
  
"You look like you're about to fall down."  
  
Noah strokes under Luke's eyes with his fingertips and frowns. "I can say the same thing about you. Did you get any sleep at all, Luke?"  
  
He waves Noah's concern away. They need to concentrate on Noah's recovery. "We need to get you into bed."  
  
Noah wiggles his eyebrows with great effort, they look comical on him and it makes Luke chuckle into his neck as he drops several kisses on the skin there, "Believe me, sweetheart, I can't wait to touch you everywhere again but I think that’s going to have to wait." He grabs at Noah's waist and walks around to stand behind him, guiding Noah across the room. He grabs Noah's bag, and hauls it over his shoulder. They avoid the corner where Reid stands talking intently with Chris. Luke isn't sure what is going on there but he doesn't really care. Zoe walks ahead of them, opening the bedroom door where Chris told Luke to settle in.  
  
Zoe pulls back the covers and helps Luke get Noah into the bed. Luke heads to the corner of the bedroom and drops the bag on the floor with a thud. He turns around, stops with his heart in his throat as he watches Zoe and Noah talk quietly. Zoe shakes her head, face red as Noah speaks softly to her and Luke can't handle the way Noah tugs Zoe down into a hug. Her face goes slack with shock and then soft with tenderness she usually only reserves for him.  
  
He needs to look away for a long moment. By the time he turns back, Zoe's walking out of the door, probably at her threshold with all the gooey emotions, and Noah sits up in bed, staring at him. "Why are you all the way over there?" He pats the bed and Luke moves so fast that Noah tries to grin but then grimaces.  
  
"Stop that."  
  
Noah shrugs, eyes soft and blue as he looks at him. "I can't help it that you make me happy."  
  
Luke heart flutters in his chest and gently climbs on the bed, curls into Noah's side and lets his head fall on Noah's shoulder. "Quit being ridiculous." He glances up and Noah is giving him a serious look. "What is it?"  
  
"You meant what you said before, right? It's you and me from now on. No more stupid ideas on leaving me behind to keep me safe."  
  
Luke nods, shifting closer so Noah can wrap his good arm around him. The other is still in a sling and he is careful not to move it too much. "You're a magnet for trouble, Mayer, I swear." He feels Noah tense under his fingers. "I was kidding."  
  
"This is all my fault."  
  
Blinking a few times to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep and was dreaming that insane statement, Luke brings his head up from its resting place and stares at Noah. "Now who is saying stupid things?"  
  
Noah's face registers what looks like anger. That's good. He needs to be angry but not with himself. "I made the phone call to Reid that got me almost killed." It's not even a question because Noah's smarter than most people Luke's met. His brain works too fast sometimes for his own good.  
  
"Noah."  
  
"No, don't try to placate me. Zoe's been compromised. Everything we spent a year building might be down the tubes because I couldn't act like an adult and work things out with you before you left."  
  
"Okay, if that's the game we're playing then it's my fault. I was the one that changed the rules at the last minute and made you feel like I didn't trust you when, baby, that's the farthest thing from the truth. There's no one I believe in and trust more than you. I should have let you come like you were supposed to."  
  
"Maybe," Noah concedes and shifts so their hips are pressing together. Luke makes sure it's not the one that was injured before letting some of his weight lean back, "I made a mistake though and I don't know how I can help fix it."  
  
Luke kisses his shoulder. "We've got it covered. After you heal some, we're going to make our move. You, me, Zoe and Jim. We'll take them all down and finally we might get a chance to be normal. Or what can pass for normal with us anyway."  
  
Noah hmms. "Zoe okay with that?"  
  
He isn't sure but Luke is more than fine with it for the both of them. Zoe deserves a chance at something more than destruction and death. "Let's hope so." He feels Noah stifle a yawn, reaches up to stroke his face. "We'll worry about that later. Right now you need to sleep."  
  
Noah tightens his hold on Luke. "Don't go anywhere, okay?"  
  
Luke sighs heavily and burrows in closer until it feels like Noah is fused with his skin.  
  
"There's nowhere I want to be more than right here."  
  
***  
  
They fall asleep that way, wrapped around each other, and it's not until there's a knock on the door that either one of them moves. There are shadows falling across the bed from the setting sun, telling Luke that it's been far longer than he realized. Noah stirs when there's a louder knock this time and Luke rolls out from under his arm careful not to wake him up and flings the door open to find Casey standing there.  
  
"Hi," he notices Noah asleep and gives Luke an apologetic face, "sorry, it's just. Um. I need you to come to kitchen when you get a chance." Casey avoids Luke's eyes but he walks away before Luke can ask what the hell is going on. Glancing back to make sure Noah hasn't been disturbed and reassured that his boyfriend can sleep through pretty much anything, he walks into the hall, closing the door quietly.  
  
Zoe sits with her back to him, eyes riveted to the television and he smiles as he walks by. Reid's sleeping on the reclining chair Luke had moved to the window for Noah. He starts toward him but at the last moment rethinks waking him up. An unconscious Reid might be the only kind of Reid he likes. Chris's nowhere to be found and Luke figures he's back at the hospital. He enters the kitchen from the dining room, pushes the swinging door open and stops short immediately.  
  
Holden Snyder stands at the counter and sips from a mug as he meets Luke's astonished gaze. His fingers tighten on the handle of his drink but that's the only reaction he gives to seeing Luke alive. Which means he already knew. Casey fidgets near the stove, glancing from Holden's stoic face to Luke's angry one and back. "So. Holden knows," he says before making a quick escape and leaving Luke to deal with what he assumes is a very angry Snyder.  
  
"Holden."  
  
He can't seem to find any words to explain himself. Holden stares him down, raises an eyebrow as he waits for whatever excuses Luke's going to throw at him. Luke suddenly feels like he’s sixteen and got caught red-handed doing something he shouldn't have except that he isn't stupid and young. And what he did was make Holden think Noah was dead. That's probably near to unforgivable in Holden's mind  
  
"I can imagine what you've been going through-"  
  
"No," Holden says softly and sets his mug down carefully on the counter as he keeps his gaze locked on Luke's, "I don't think you can."  
  
"I'm sorry that we put you through-"  
  
"Stop talking."  
  
Luke's mouth snaps shut.  
  
Holden points a finger at him. "I buried you next to your mother." He sees the shock on Luke's face and suddenly the calm facade falls and Holden's voice rises, "Your grave sits near the back willow on the farm because I -- we had you! You finally came back and I thought that it would take time but maybe --just maybe you'd realize how much we loved you, how much we wanted you in our lives, and then it was over. You were gone again and there wasn't hope this time. All that was left of you were ashes and those went to your -- to Damian."  
  
Luke can't breathe and wants to reach out, grab at Holden so he stops talking because this is -- he didn't expect this.  
  
"Mama hadn't even gotten a chance to see you again and you were gone." Holden shakes his head, rubs one hand over his face, "I had some of your things from when you were little in a chest in the attic. After we'd buried Noah --" he chokes on the words but manages to keep going -- "I went up there, found your old teddy bear." He meets Luke's wide eyes. "That's what I buried in your grave. An old toy because it was the only piece of you I still had."  
  
"I can't -- I wish it could have been -- there was no other choice, Holden." And he does wish they could have told someone but it was too dangerous. "We were trying to protect you."  
  
Holden huffs out an indignant sound. "Protect us by letting us think that you were dead? That you'd taken Noah with you? That nothing you'd told us at the time was true?"  
  
Luke hears the unsaid words, tenses as he says, "That you let your unwanted son take the one you loved?"  
  
"Do not even try that!" Holden yells, shaking with it and Luke takes a step back. He thinks it's not right seeing him angry. "I love you as much as I love Noah. Do you understand that? You broke my heart, Luke."  
  
That hits home and Luke deflates as Holden hides his face in his hands, shoulders shaking slightly. They stand that way -- Luke watching Holden, Holden hiding away -- for several minutes until finally Holden seems to gather himself. His eyes are watery when he brings them back to Luke. "Don't move."  
  
Luke furrows his brow in confusion but then Holden's walking to him and before he understands what that means Holden grabs his shoulders and pulls him into a fierce hug. Luke's arms flail about for a few minutes. He doesn't know what he's supposed to do but Holden keeps his grip on him.  
  
He remembers.  
  
There's a flash in his mind. Nothing he can clearly see but he remembers the feel of Holden's hug and how he always smelled of sandalwood and fresh grass. The way his voice rumbled against Luke's head.  
  
It takes all the effort Luke has not to cling back suddenly. He does return the hug, saying, "I really am sorry I put you all through that but I had to make sure Noah was safe. That was the most important part."  
  
Holden steps away, dropping his arms to his side as he releases Luke. "I can understand that," he looks around the room before settling his probing gaze on Luke, "It's how I feel about you both,” he emphasizes the last word.to make sure Luke get it.  
  
Luke does.   
  
"We're good then?"  
  
There's a snort from Holden. "Not even close, buddy. You and I are going to have some serious discussions about how you're going to make this up to Lucinda and Mama and Faith and pretty much every Snyder."  
  
Luke can't lie and say that threat doesn't make him more than a little scared. He has a thought and grins slightly, "You planning on yelling at Noah, too?"  
  
"Oh, you have no idea."  
  
“I don’t know if I like that.”  
  
Holden glares at him, one eyebrow raised in his direction. “I plan to yell at you again, don’t worry.”   
  
He laughs, his chest feeling looser when he sees Holden almost smile at him. There’s something growing slowly in his heart, this feeling that he might just have found his way home again. He knew it back when he first fell in love with Noah but -- this is different and the part of Luke that always felt empty, that never understood why there was a huge hole in his heart begins to feel it fill up.  
  
***  
Noah is aware of the silence of the room as his senses wake up one at a time. There's no warm weight against his back or thigh. He can't smell the clean scent of Luke's favorite aftershave or the warmer tone of his skin, vanilla and something distinctly Luke. Stretching his good hand behind him, it meets with cool sheets and not the heat of Luke’s flesh. Frowning at the absence, he struggles to turn his head and forces his eyes to open. Blinking away the cloud over his vision, he verifies the information he'd gathered, and scoots up then, back against the pillows with caution. Noah doesn't want to jar anything and have to be rushed back to the hospital. That will not be happening.  
  
He stares at the closed bathroom door, leaning his head to one side and listening for any kind of noises. Hearing nothing at all is enough to send a rush of panic swelling up his stomach to his chest and throat. Forgetting about not aggravating his injuries, he swings his legs around and starts to rise from the bed when the door opens and Casey enters. Taking one look at Noah, he scowls and sets his mouth in a grim line.  
  
"I don't fucking think so. Get. Back. In. Bed."  
  
"What happened? Where's Luke?" He knows that Luke wouldn't leave without telling him where he was going. "Did they find us?"  
  
Casey rolls his eyes, forcibly tries to move Noah back onto the bed. "Dude. Come on. If they had found us I doubt we would be having this conversation. Or any at all cause we'd be dead."  
  
Relief courses through his veins, and seriously what is his life that what Casey said actually makes him feel better. "Good point. So where's Luke?" Casey freezes for a breath of a second but it's long enough and Noah starts to frown. "Case."  
  
The sigh his friend gives is heavy with dread. "Your dad is here."  
  
Those words aren't making sense because -- "Holden? Luke is with Holden?"  
  
"You got any other dads that count?"  
  
Noah scrambles against the mattress and twists his arm in a weird angle, making him hiss out a curse.  
  
"Don't do that! You're going to hurt yourself."  
  
Noah tries not to laugh because whatever is going on outside his room is probably three times as dangerous. "Holden's going to kill us."  
  
Casey rolls his eyes, steadies Noah as he gets to his feet. "Okay, I think you're being a bit of a drama queen right now."  
  
"He's really not."  
  
Noah jumps at the sound of Holden's voice and stares wide-eyed as he looms, crossed-armed outside the frame of the door. There’s a hostile set to his shoulders, dark thunderstorm of an expression. He knows that look. Remembers being on the end of it more times that he will ever admit to anyone. There's a fine tremor going on with Holden, mostly due to the way he's clamping down on his temper. Noah's kind of glad he's as messed up as he is because otherwise Holden would be yelling at him by now.  
  
"Holden."  
  
It comes out rough, his voice cracking in the middle and there's a wave of emotion that overwhelms him. Tears gather at the back of his eyes and he moves around Casey to reach Holden. He doesn't take more than two steps before Holden's in front of him.  
  
"I am so angry with you, kid."  
  
Noah reaches up and grabs Holden's shoulders, nods. "I know."  
  
"We mourned you and Luke for a year. A year, Noah. Do you know what that's like?"  
  
He can't look straight at Holden, stares at the floor. That thought has run through his head every day for the last twelve months. He couldn't let himself imagine what was going on at home. "I had to protect you."  
  
"That is -- I can't yell at you the way I did Luke because I think if I talk any louder, you'll fall right down. But don't think that once you've gotten better, I'm not going to rip your head off."  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Noah looks up fast and then he steps into Holden's arms and holds on. "I'm sorry, Dad."   
  
Holden stutters out a breath and Noah feels a tear or two fall on his shirt. "Don't ever do anything like that again." Familiar, callused hands stroke over his hair and come to rest on his neck, squeezing gently. It brings back so many memories that Noah can’t breathe properly.   
  
"I promise," he says and mutters a lame, "I missed you."  
  
They hold onto each other for a long time.


	8. Part Seven

_Part 7_  
  
A month passes by with every person that shouldn't be anywhere near this situation showing up at Chris’s doorstep. Luke worries that they'll be found out. The Company doesn't have Chris Hughes anywhere near their radar but that doesn't mean they should take any chances. Jim stays as far away as he can and Zoe meets with him once every couple of days to keep him informed. She rarely ventures out either since the whole of their enemies is looking for her.   
  
That Luke doesn't mind.  
  
But the rest is getting on his nerves.  
  
He loves Lucinda despite wanting to shake her half the time but it's taken Noah and Reid  _and_ Chris  _and_  Grayson arguing Luke's point about her safety, not to mention their own, to convince her to stay the hell away. It's bad enough Reid practically lives with them and that's something Luke doesn't think about. Every time he walks in a room to find Reid all over Noah he wants to shoot the bastard.  
  
Chris's apartment is huge for one person but for seven or eight, which is what they always end up having, it feels way too small to him. He thinks the proximity must be making him extra cranky because Noah insisted he take a walk -- in disguise of course -- around Lincoln Park. Luke opens the door with a smile on his face that he's only been managing to give Noah. His boyfriend is a genius.  
  
Getting out of the house is exactly what he needed.  
  
He glances down at his watch. Zoe is probably still with Jim wherever they got off to on meeting days. Chris should be at the hospital. He scowls as he glances around for any sign of Reid. Nobody seems to be there and Luke's palms begin to sweat. It's been almost a month and some change since he and Noah had a chance to be really alone. They don’t spend any time apart they don’t have to but Luke is aware that Noah’s recovering and that they aren’t in their own home. He wants to be considerate.   
  
That morning it had taken everything in his power not to flip Noah over, hook his hands under that long, lean body, touch him until he’s breaking between Luke's mouth and fingers. His cock jerks at the thought, half-hard already and Luke closes his eyes. He won't risk hurting Noah. Patience is a virtue and all that shit. Luke cracks his neck, releasing the tension he was holding and heads to the kitchen.  
  
Tea.  
  
Tea might help calm him down.  
  
Opening the swinging door into the kitchen, he stops dead in his tracks, mouth dropping open.  
  
Reid has Chris pinned against the counter, mouths slanted together, hands groping over back and hips. Luke must make some kind of disbelieving type of gasp because hearing someone in the room makes Reid pull back with a great deal of reluctance. He gives Luke a murderous glare, "You have the worse fucking timing, Grimaldi."  
  
Luke's brain can't seem to find any words so he stares back in response. He notes that Chris wiggles his way out of Reid's hold, moving away from Reid's hands reaching for him and runs -- that's really the only word for it -- past Luke, muttering, "I owe you," before making his escape. Reid follows close behind, not sparing a glance at Luke, leaving him alone in the room with a shocked expression that he can't seem to shake.  
  
"Holy  _shit._ "  
  
Noah walks in from the other room, confusion marring his forehead as he glances behind him. His face clears off anything but happiness when he sees Luke, bending slightly to press their lips together.  
  
"Baby," he breathes into Luke's mouth, languidly licking his way around Luke's lips.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Any idea why Reid bolted out of here just now?"  
  
Luke runs his hands under Noah's shirt, resting them in the dip at the small of his back and breathes him in. His cock makes an appreciative salute but he ignores it. Not the time yet. Groping and kisses will have to suffice. Blow jobs might not be out of the question. “Probably cause he got caught playing doctor."  
  
Noah pushes him away gently with his two good hands (and someone needs to ask Luke how happy was he the day Noah could use both of them?), brow climbing into his hairline. "Pardon?"  
  
"You're not going to believe what I walked in on a minute ago," he exclaims and if he's a little giddy with knowing that Reid has no intention of laying claim to Noah again, then that's his own business.  
  
Noah looks thoughtful before grinning hard. "You mean him and Chris?"  
  
Luke swats at Noah's arm. "You knew and didn't tell me?!"  
  
His eyes fall to drink in the curve of Noah's mouth as he laughs, shaking from head to toe with whatever joke Luke's not in on. "That's not new, sweetheart."  
  
Freezing, Luke gapes at Noah. "What?"  
  
Noah hates to gossip (even though he does it better than the rest of them) and bites at his lip before speaking. "They -- had a thing. Way back in the day."  
  
He needs to ask. "Before you?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, it was in college or med school. I don't know. Reid told me about it once after we'd-" Noah cuts himself off, giving Luke an innocent look and he pretends he doesn’t know the end of that unfinished sentence for the sake of Reid’s unbroken arms, "anyway, he swore it didn't matter but I knew better."  
  
Luke's staring at Noah, catches the way his eyes are sparkling with humor. "You didn't mention it on purpose, didn't you?"  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
"Like hell you don't, asshole. You know how I feel about Oliver."  
  
Noah dances his way closer, grinning so wide Luke thinks his face might split in half. He twines their hands together, teeth imprinting on his lower lip as he tries to bite in a laugh. "You're just so fucking cute when you're jealous."  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
That only makes Noah's grin widen even more.  
  
Zoe bolts through the door, saving the day as usual, before Luke can think of a way of saying no without having to say no. She sees them and rolls her eyes, "I swear to god."  
  
Luke throws up his middle finger. "I love you, too, Zoe."  
  
She stops halfway between them, hands on her hips and says loudly, "Boys. It's time."  
  
Noah opens his eyes wide and looks at Luke, "Zoe says it's time, babe."  
  
“Quit playing, Noah. Jim’s ready. We got the location.”  
  
Noah grimaces but nods quickly. “Let’s do it.”  
  
They seem to be waiting for him but all Luke can feel is the panic welling up.  
  
"Shit."  
  
Zoe nods. "That's the confidence I was looking for."  
  
Luke glances at Noah and opens his mouth but the anger that flashes in Noah's face stops him. "You don't know what I was going to say."  
  
Noah makes a derisive sound and calls over his shoulder as he walks out of the room, "I  _know_  it wasn't going to be something stupid about me staying here while you and Zoe and Jim went to take care of this. I know that was definitely  _not_  what you were about to say. I'm going to go pack."  
  
Luke stares after him as Zoe curls an arm around his shoulder. "I would totally steal him if he wasn't so very gay."  
  
  
***  
  
“What are the chances of you actually staying here if I tied you to this bed?”   
  
Noah smirks. “Well that depends, are you gonna be here with me or is this going to be a boring one-man show?” He steps up into Luke’s space and threads his arms around Luke’s waist, one hand stroking the skin peeking from beneath the hem of his shirt.   
  
Luke frowns, momentarily distracted. “You’re never boring, Mayer. One-man show or not. And stop distracting me, you bastard. I’m serious.”  
  
“So am I. You left me once before and look what happened. I’m going. End of story. And no more being apart, remember? You promised, Luke.”  
  
“But it’s an eight-hour flight at the very  _least_  and you’re still recovering.”  
  
“Then I’ll rest on the plane.”   
  
Luke sighs. Doesn’t even know why he’s trying to start this argument again because he doesn’t want to be parted from Noah a second more than he has to either. But he can’t shake the ever persistent fear that eats away at his gut at the thought of putting Noah in direct line of even more danger. But there’s nothing to be done about it now, all he can do is protect him with his entire life. He burrows closer into Noah’s warmth, head on his chest.   
  
“Yeah, okay. You’re either by me or Jim the entire fucking time, okay? I mean it, Noah. No straying, I want you in my line of sight always.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”   
  
Instead of yelling at him like he wants to, Luke pulls him down for a deep kiss. His tongue pushes inside Noah’s mouth immediately, licking at his teeth, and swallows Noah’s moan. It’s this side of desperate but he doesn’t care. His fingers clench around the hair on Noah’s nape and he feels an answering squeeze on his hips. Noah kisses back just as fiercely, teeth nipping at his bottom lip before tangling his tongue with Luke’s own. Noah slots their bodies perfectly together, swaying a little as they push and pull at each other with their mouths. Luke pulls back to breathe and Noah trails kisses down his cheek, the corner of his lips, skims past his jawline before burying his face against Luke’s neck, inhaling deeply.  
  
He pulls back and touches their foreheads together. “We’ll be okay, Luke. We’ll make it out of this alive. I trust you. I trust Zoe. Hell, I even trust Jim.” Luke snorts at that. “And we’ve gone too far without this ending the way I have it in my head.”   
  
Luke smiles at that and his arms wrap tighter around Noah. “And how does this end exactly in your head, Mr. Director?”   
  
“Anywhere where our entire family and friends are. Maybe back on our island, maybe in Oakdale, or here in Chicago. Anywhere with  _you._  And far, far,  _far_  away from all the bad guys.”   
  
Luke lets out a startled laugh. “Are we actually going to drive away into the sunset?”  
  
“Don’t give me any ideas, I’ll make it happen.”   
  
“Yeah, I know. I’m counting on it.” Luke kisses him again, soft this time and lingering.   
  
There’s a soft knock on the door and Jim looks apologetic for interrupting. “Hey, everything’s ready to take us to the plane. You guys all set?”   
  
Noah nods and looks between Luke and Jim. “Are you sure Zoe will be okay staying behind?”  
  
“It was her choice and idea,” Luke says. Luke doesn’t like it either. But Zoe had insisted she needed to stay behind to try to buy them as much time as she could while they went after the black box. A month and a couple of weeks isn’t long, but Luke hopes that the time they took off to wait out Noah’s recovery was enough to allow some of the heat to cool off them and stay out of The Company’s scent. But Zoe wanted to make sure and volunteered to keep throwing Damian’s agents off their trail. The irony of moving their plans up earlier only to delay them for more weeks later doesn’t escape him.   
  
Luke looks around at the bags of essentials they’ve packed and double checks that all his weapons are secure. He looks at Noah next, and is rewarded with a reassuring smile. Noah holds his hand out and Luke threads their fingers together. “Okay, let’s go.”  
***  
  
Zach heads out, bidding some of his co-workers goodnight. He’s got to stop working so late but he feels that he can’t waste any time. He has no idea what Jim and Luke are doing exactly but he knows that if they succeed it’s one giant step closer to bringing down The Company. And he wants to take every opportunity he can to continue helping them. He’s probably risking a lot more than he ever has, because he’s now officially directly involved when he decided to tell them what he knew. He had no idea how helpful it was going to be until he saw the hope in Luke’s face and the light in Jim’s eyes.   
  
And, wow, he’s really got to stop thinking about him that way because how inappropriate is it to crush after a man he barely knows? Who broke into his office, works for the fucking CIA, and may or may not die on some mission out of the country? He shakes his head and starts walking to his car, trying to put thoughts of Jim Mercer out of his mind.   
  
It’s cold and he shivers a little, cursing himself for forgetting his jacket in his office and walks faster, eager for the warmth inside his car. He’s fishing his keys out and is reaching for the handle of the door when an arm snakes out and grabs him from behind and half drags him towards an alley by the parking garage. He opens his mouth to yell but the ground beneath him shakes all of a sudden and there’s a booming roar and he’s thrown further back, colliding painfully against the body wrapped around him. He coughs and sputters, opening his eyes and feels his heart stop as he sees his car bright and blazing and on  _fire_  just several feet from him. It takes him another minute to process that it actually fucking  _exploded_  before he’s scrambling to his feet and turning around.   
  
His eyes meet dark brown and he spares a moment to wonder how someone half his size was able to overpower him so suddenly before screaming, “Who the fuck are you and what the fuck just happened?!”  
  
Zoe is panting and there’s blood dripping down her temple from where she banged her head against the ground when they were thrown from the force of the explosion. “Explanations later, but for now if you want to live, we need to fucking  _run_.”   
  
She grabs his hand and Zach doesn’t even think about it before he’s running after her, faster than he’s ever run his entire life.   
  
***   
  
The house is gorgeous with a huge backyard and surrounded by what looks like a well-kept garden. There are no other houses around it, the nearest one at least fifteen miles away. There are acres of land used for crops and farming and a barn full of horses on the other side of the main property. It’s a house right out of a picture perfect postcard and Jim is walking towards it, shoes crunching against rocks on the gravelly path leading to the door. When he gets there, he rings the doorbell and a woman answers, smiling politely.   
  
“Can I help you?”  
  
Jim replies with his own smile, disarming. “I’m sorry to bother you, Miss, but my car broke down a few miles back down the dirt road. I’m not getting a signal here and I was wondering if I could use your phone?”   
  
The woman’s smile falters a little before it turns bright again and she opens the door enough to let him in. “Of course, come in.”   
  
“Thank you,” he says politely and steps inside, the door shutting behind him.  
  
***  
  
“That didn’t take long.”   
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“You worried?”  
  
“When am I not?”   
  
Noah’s smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes but Luke loves that he tried. “Jim knows what he’s doing.”   
  
“I know, but I hate surprises. I wish we could have gone with him inside.” Luke frowns. He knows the plan in is to move in after the allotted time they agreed on to let Jim scout the place inside, but he’s jittery with nerves he never has before a mission or a case. He’s not used to being the one to hang back. But they would have recognized his face and Noah’s, and Jim had been the logical choice to send in first.   
  
“Do you really think this is a place they’re keeping one of the boxes?”  
  
“I fucking hope so. We’ll find out either way in a little bit.” Luke sighs and leans back, reaching over the driver’s seat to take Noah’s hand. It had taken some time trying to find a place to park the car without getting detected but they were safely hidden by the rows and rows of huge oak trees surrounding the entire property, with a good enough view to have seen Jim enter the house.   
  
“Hey,” Noah begins. “Whatever happens, I want you to know, that I don’t regret anything. Meeting you, no matter how fucked up the circumstances, staying with you, leaving with you, and living this life with you. I don’t care how corny all of this sounds right now. But I’d follow you straight inside that house, guns blazing if that’s what we have to do. My place is by your side, always.”   
  
It feels like they’ve had so many of these end-of-the-world conversations lately but Noah’s eyes are so fucking earnest and blue looking at him, that Luke sort of wants to vomit with everything that he’s feeling. Instead, he scrambles over the console between them and crawls into Noah’s lap, careful of his still mending ribs, and fits their mouths together. There’s a voice in the back of his mind that’s saying that this is absolutely the wrong time and place for this, but he tells it to fuck off and loses himself inside Noah’s mouth.   
  
Noah’s grip on his hips is strong and he can’t help but rock back down a little, relishing the groan that comes out of Noah’s mouth. His own hands are everywhere, one on the back of Noah’s head and the other making its way inside Noah’s shirt, skittering past the flat stomach and grasping at his chest, heaving beneath Luke’s fingers. He wants to crawl inside Noah’s skin, hang on, and never come back out. Noah surges up, his hands moving from Luke’s hips to squeeze at his ass and help him grind down, their hard cocks trapped between their bodies and it’s Luke’s turn to moan around Noah’s tongue.   
  
He can’t breathe, but he doesn’t care. Because they’re kissing and kissing and kissing and  _fuck_  he loves Noah’s mouth. The way it nips and licks at his lips, tongue tangling with his and grazing the roof of his mouth. The noises he makes in the back of this throat like if he ever stops kissing Luke, he’ll die. He makes one now, and Luke has to pull back for air, but Noah immediately goes for his neck, raining kisses down the side, making Luke arch his back, exposing more of it to him. Noah bites and then sucks and Luke moans before Noah’s tongue soothes the reddening skin, nosing his way up Luke’s jaw until he reaches his ear, teasing the lobe between his teeth.  
  
“I love you,” Luke gasps out. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” He says it like a chant, a prayer, even though he doesn’t really believe in god. But he might be willing to if he can somehow stay like this, in Noah’s arms, his scent surrounding him, his heart beating steadily beneath him, while everything else falls away.   
  
“Same here,” Noah says back, lips still by Luke’s ear so he feels the caress the words bring and shivers.   
  
The vibration in his pocket snaps Luke back to reality and he quickly fishes the phone out and opens the text from Jim. Noah leans over to read along with him. “ _Indoor pools. Two._  What does that mean?” he asks.  
  
“It means he’s spotted at least two hidden rooms in the house.”   
  
Noah quirks an eyebrow.   
  
“Don’t ask. Jim’s the one who made up all the codes.”  
  
“Ah.”  
  
Luke carefully extracts himself from Noah’s lap but Noah holds on. Luke smiles. “We’ve got about ten minutes before we need to move in so we need to get ready.”  
  
“Just give me another minute.”   
  
Luke does and he feels the deep breaths Noah is taking and does the same. After a minute, he places a kiss on his temple before lifting himself off Noah again and moving to the back and grabbing the bag they have there and returning back to the driver’s seat.   
  
He takes out their guns and hands Noah his. Their eyes meet over the cold steel between their fingers and Luke reads all the love, hope, faith, fierce determination, and the  _mine mine mine_  in Noah’s eyes, all mixed together that his heart is fit to burst. He leans over and gives Noah one last kiss, soft and sure. And in this moment he feels infinite, like he can do anything as long as he’s got Noah looking at him like that forever.   
  
They tuck their guns out of sight and exit the car.   
  
***  
  
Their footsteps are harsh on the pavement but they don’t stop running until the car is in sight and then she’s inside, keys in the ignition before she looks over and sees Grayson hesitate.   
  
“Hey man, I have no qualms about leaving you here if you don’t get your ass in this car right now.”  
  
That seems to snap him out of it and he hops in. She’s speeding away, tires screeching a little before Grayson can even finish putting on his seatbelt properly. He’s panting harshly in the passenger seat but his eyes are closed, fists clenched around the fabric of his pants around his knees. She really hopes he’s not about to have some sort of mental breakdown. Though she supposes she wouldn’t blame him if he did. A few seconds later, he would have probably been blown up right alongside that car.   
  
It’s quiet except for the their breathing, still a little stilted from running so fast and Zoe gives him the time to collect himself. She waits until they’re a good thirty or so miles away from the explosion sight before speaking.  
  
“So. Sorry about that earlier.” She looks over briefly before turning her eyes back on the road. It’s silent for another moment before a loud laugh cuts through it and Zoe jumps a little.  
  
“Sorry? I’m pretty sure you just saved my life back there. Holy  _fuck me_.” Grayson takes a deep breath and asks, “So who are you?”  
  
“Zoe. I’m Luke’s cousin. I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you but considering these circumstances, I’d be lying. At least you’re not bleeding to death like Noah was.”  
  
She can feel Grayson’s wide-eyed stare on her. “So you’re the cousin that saved Noah’s life.”  
  
She shifts gears and turns a sharp left. “Yup. Apparently it’s my specialty now to meet new people during life and death situations. By the way, you’re taking this pretty well. Considering you almost got blown to bits and pieces there.”  
  
Grayson shakes his head. “I don’t think my brain has totally caught up on how completely fucking  _insane_  all of this is.” He pauses. “But a part of me also knew that I was probably painting a big bullseye on the back of my head when I started getting more involved and actually put the information I knew into good use.” He rubs a hand across his face a few times, trying to let it all sink in. “So how did you know that would happen?”  
  
Zoe spares him a glance. “I’ve tapped into some of the frequencies The Company uses and been monitoring them. I needed to know if they had any big moves to go after Luke, Noah, and Jim. So I could either warn them or direct Damian’s men somewhere else to buy the boys more time. I came across their plans on blowing you up.”  
  
“Holy  _fuck_.”   
  
Zoe actually smiles at him. “Yeah, you said that already.”   
  
Grayson swallows. “How about you? Aren’t you worried they saw you with me?”  
  
She shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. I’m officially rogue now. We just need to hide out until Luke, Noah, and Jim come back.”   
  
Grayson studies her for a moment before quietly saying, “Thank you. For saving my life.”   
  
Her smile turns into a grin. “Don’t thank me yet, we still gotta make it to the safehouse in one piece.” Then she floors it and Grayson hangs on for dear life.   
  
***  
  
When Luke and Jim had canvassed the entire house and all the land surrounding it before today they almost missed the main security detail, virtually invisible even to the trained eye. It had taken both Luke’s knowledge of the blueprints of some of The Company’s security systems and Jim pulling strings with some higher ups to find a way to get around it.  
  
“Do you remember the route to take to the house that won’t trip the sensors before we can disable them?”  
  
“I thought I was to stick by you at all times?” Noah teases.  
  
“This is not time for cheek, Mayer.” But he’s smiling a little too. “Just in case we get separated.”  
  
“Yes, I know it all. You only made me go over it eleventy trillion times.”  
  
They’re walking towards the barn as quickly and quietly as they can for the first checkpoint. “If we get out of this, I  _am_  so tying you to a bed and we’re not going to leave the room for three days.”   
  
“ _When_  we get out of this. And promises promises, Grimaldi.” He’s teasing again but the certainty in Noah’s voice is all Luke needs as they reach the side of the barn.   
  
He takes out a slim electronic device from his pocket and activates the screen before pressing the codes he needs to re-route the first set of surveillance systems. When he gets the confirmation beep, he and Noah move to the second checkpoint and disables the alarming sensors.   
  
They’re near the back entrance to the house and so far, so good. Luke cocks his head and Noah pulls his gun out of his back pocket and nods back. They circle around to the windows closest to the living room and Luke peeks in, but doesn’t see Jim and that worries him. He’s suppose to be in plain sight for the signal.   
  
He raises an eyebrow for Noah to follow him and they move to the next set of windows by the kitchen and there’s nothing. There’s no one at all. And something is very wrong.  _Fuck_. He doesn’t want to have to activate the camera Jim’s wearing because the frequency is too strong, strong enough to mess with the systems built in the house and that will be a dead giveaway as to who they are and where they are. But it was added as a last resort precaution and that time seems to be now.  
  
“I need to turn on the device on Jim’s jacket and shit is probably going to hit the fan soon. Ready?”   
  
“I trust you, Luke.”  
  
And not for the first time, Luke wonders what he ever did to earn any of this from Noah. His grip tightens on the handle of his gun, leans over to place a hard kiss on Noah’s mouth, and accesses the code that will give him the visual of where Jim is. It’s about five seconds before an image materializes. The view is from the ground and Luke fights down the panic that Jim is down, possibly unconscious, and focuses on the wall across from him. It’s splattered with blood and his heart seizes in his chest, feels Noah’s comforting presence behind him. But there’s also a second body on the floor by that wall and his heart loosens a little.  
  
“We’ve got about about another fifteen minutes before they realize we’re here and send for backup.”  
  
“What are we waiting for then,  _007?_ ”  
  
“Oh god, we’re going to have to work on your sense of humor. Give me that thin metal rod from your pocket.” He sees Noah open his mouth around a smile and stops him before he can say it. “Shut up, you inappropriate bastard, it’s a laser lock-pick.”   
  
Noah shuts his mouth, his face twitching a little before handing it over. Luke takes it, and swipes it once down the sealed door to the kitchen. Noah watches as the lock from the inside melts just enough that Luke can twist the knob and jimmy the bolt before it gives, and the door opens easily.  
  
“Stay right beside me,” Luke murmurs and Noah does, gun held low at his waist and between his legs, ready to take aim.   
  
It’s too quiet but it doesn’t take long before they find the half-opened door they saw from the camera feed and Luke pushes it open slowly. The room is completely empty except for the two bodies on the floor.   
  
Luke rushes to Jim and feels for a pulse and it’s there, steady and strong underneath his fingers. He sighs in relief and looks him over, notices the gash on the side of his head steadily bleeding. He rips at the hem of his shirt and places it over the wound, trying to staunch the blood flow.  
  
“Is he going to be okay?” Noah asks.  
  
Luke nods. “I think so. He’ll have a hell of a headache if he doesn’t have a concussion. Looks like he just passed out from the blow to his head.” He looks over to the other body across the room. “But not before he got a shot in.”  
  
Noah tries not to grimace at the lifeless body in front of him. Her eyes wide open, face turned to the side and completely devoid of expression, a bullet hole clean straight through her forehead. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to that.  
  
Luke notices and says softly, “Hey, can you try and wake Jim up while I go check some things over?”   
  
Noah nods and gives Luke a grateful look before kneeling and taking over dabbing the fabric over Jim’s cut. “Jim, wake up, man.” He slaps at his face lightly, trying not to jostle the wound too much. There’s a groan but his eyes remain stubbornly closed. “Come on.”  
  
Luke looks around the room even though it’s mostly empty and sees a small dent on the wall next to the one covered in blood belonging to the dead agent on the floor. It’s almost invisible, blending in with the rest of the wall if he hadn’t been looking for it. They’re running out of time, and they need to find at least one of the hidden rooms Jim had texted him about. He approaches the mark and runs his fingers over it and realizes that the damage had been done in haste to open it, instead of the usual care it probably needed. He takes his regular lock-pick and slides the thin end carefully between a groove and pushes until part of the wall swings open, reminding him of a really small fuse box hidden inside a wall. He stares inside and his heart lodges somewhere in his throat.   
  
“Noah. Get your gun out, we have to hurry.”  
  
Noah looks up from where he’d been trying to shake Jim awake. “What is it?”  
  
“It’s an activation system. And it has two sets of access codes to it. That means there’s another Guardian other than this one that Jim took out, and we need to find them  _now_. Because this thing is set to a countdown and I don’t want to be here when it gets to zero.”  
  
Luke goes over and smacks Jim hard across the chest.   
  
“Jesus, Luke.” Noah hisses. But Jim is groaning again and this time his eyes open and he blinks, hazy gaze trying to focus on them.  
  
“It worked though.”  
  
Jim blinks a few more times before he’s scrambling to his feet, swaying a little at the movement and Noah’s hands steady him.  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
Jim shakes his head a little and moans at the pain but he grits his teeth. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. There’s no time. Luke, there’s another--”   
  
“--another Guardian, yeah I know. Did you see where they went?”  
  
“He headed towards the room next to this one. Come on, I bet you he went underground.”   
  
They all walk out with Jim a little unsteady on his feet, but they make it to the next room and there’s already a bookcase thrown open to reveal a hidden doorway with stairs.  
  
Noah can’t help but scoff. “How perfectly cliché.”   
  
“Shut up, baby.” But Luke’s also smirking a little. “How long of a head start do you think he had?”  
  
“Maybe ten minutes. Bastard is the one who knocked me out actually after I shot his partner. I didn’t expect there to be two.”  
  
“Neither did I.”  
  
“How much time do we have left before Company agents are swarming this place?”  
  
“Maybe two minutes.”  
  
“Great.”  
  
“But with the way that countdown clock is going, I bet you they’re not even going to bother with the back up.”  
  
A chill goes through all three of them at the implication as they hurry down the steps, guns at the ready. The basement (if you can call it that) is massive and seems to go on forever, like an underground tunnel. There are no windows anywhere or anything that would let in any natural light but there’s a faint glow coming from the far right so they head towards that, painfully aware of their footsteps echoing slightly off the cold stone floor. They can barely see and by some unspoken agreement they move a few inches apart so they don’t trip all over each other. Their guns are useless if they can’t see anything.   
  
Luke is the closest to the light so he can see a little but it still doesn’t prepare him for the leg that kicks out from a corner and almost sends him to his knees. But instinct takes over and he throws out an elbow that collides with something solid and he hears metal hitting the ground, assuming he knocked the gun out of the man’s hand. And from there it’s a whirlwind of limbs and shouts.   
  
None of them will risk trying to get a shot off in case they shoot the wrong person. And all Luke can think of is making sure Noah isn’t anywhere near this guy’s direct aim because if he locates his gun, Luke’s pretty sure he’s got no qualms about using it, even if he would be shooting half-blind. Luke is shoved hard against some shelves and the air leaves his lungs.   
  
“Hey!” Jim shouts, and he’s pulling the guy off before turning him around and Luke hears a crack of a punch being thrown and he sees the shadow of the agent stumble but he doesn’t fall. Instead he jumps and kicks high in the air sending Jim flying hard against a wall.   
  
He can’t find Noah anywhere.   
  
Luke sees an opening and is about to grab the agent from behind when the room is suddenly flooded with light and he stops, finding Noah in a corner with his hand inside an actual fuse box this time where he must have flipped a switch on. Relief floods through Luke and he turns back to see Jim’s gun aimed directly at the agent. The gash on Jim’s head is bleeding steadily again but his hands are steady on the gun so Luke counts that as a good sign.   
  
The agent sneers and starts backing up away from all three of them but they start to crowd him in a half circle, all their guns poised to shoot. Luke finally gets a good look at his face and grits his teeth when he recognizes him. Ellis King. He was famous at headquarters for re-telling stories of all the kills he’s done in his cases. Luke remembers being around thirteen when he first came across him, half in awe and half in fear at how unapologetic he was. Then he started disappearing for long periods of time when Luke turned eighteen. And well. He can figure out where he ended up going.   
  
“Traitor,” he hisses in Luke’s direction.   
  
Noah tenses to his right and his gaze hardens on King, moving closer to Luke on instinct.   
  
“Black box through there, King?” He doesn’t want to waste time on formalities and gestures to the slightly ajar door that had been letting the light in on the other side of the basement.   
  
“You’ll never get to it in time, I’ll make sure you won’t.”   
  
Luke knows King is referring to the countdown system. And he’s becoming more and more aware that they need to get the fuck out of here _now_. He’s done hesitating. Lifting his gun a little higher, he fires three times, all three bullets hitting King right in the chest. Blood splutters out of his mouth before he falls to his knees and then to his side, dead.   
  
There’s a terrible silence then, “Jesus  _fuck_.”   
  
Luke looks over at Noah, aware that even though he knew, Noah’s never actually  _seen_  him kill anyone. “Noah--”  
  
But Noah stops him with hands on his face and a hard kiss on his mouth. He pulls back after a moment and says, “God, Luke. Are you okay?”  
  
Luke blinks because  _this man_ , this wonderful man is asking him if he’s okay when he’s just killed somebody in cold blood in front of him. Luke’s going to marry him.   
  
“Yeah. Are you?”  
  
Noah opens his mouth to answer but is interrupted by Jim’s scoff.  
  
“Yes yes, he’s fine, you’re fine, I’m fine, we’re all just dandy, can we please get this thing and get the fuck out of here because I don’t fancy being blown up.”   
  
Noah’s eyes widen but he says, “What the hell is it with The Company and blowing stuff up? It’s a wonder how you all stayed covert or hidden or whatever for this long when you’re all living, breathing action movie stereotypes.”  
  
Jim laughs at that at least and Luke is shaking his head before bending over King’s body.   
  
“Anyone got a handkerchief handy?”   
  
***  
  
“Uh, Luke? What are you doing?” Noah cringes.  
  
“The safe the boxes are kept in can only be opened by the blood of the Guardians guarding it.”  
  
“Oh. Of course, what else would it be?”  
  
Luke spares him a sympathetic smile and folds the cloth over once, tainted with King’s blood. And then they’re walking through the door to the huge vault. Luke takes the handkerchief and presses it against the digital pad. There’s a series of noises, like bolts and locks unclicking, cogs turning and latches moving before there’s a sound of swinging, heavy metal and the door to the vault opens.  
  
They step inside one by one and find a single thin, rectangle box placed in the middle of a raised platform, and the setting is almost anti-climactic but Noah just thanks the universe for small favors. The box is black and sleek and he can see almost his entire reflection on the shiny surface. It looks too thin to hold any kind of information and Noah wonders how they even get inside it, how it works.   
  
Luke grabs it and sticks it inside the pouch he had taken with him. Noah expects more alarms being tripped, or god forbid, something else blowing up inside the vault as soon as Luke’s hands touch the box, but there’s nothing. Or at least he hopes.   
  
“Let’s get the fuck outta here,” Luke says, relief in his voice.  
  
They’re more or less running out of the vault, through the door, and then up the stairs, out the backdoor and are half way across the grounds between the house and the barn before the explosion happens and Noah swears he goes deaf for a minute. They’re panting hard, leaning against the barn doors and watch the blaze consume everything.  
  
“Yeah. I’m in my own action movie. Definitely in my own terribly clichéd and insane action movie.”   
  
Luke tackles him to the ground and starts raining kisses all over his face and Noah’s laughter is almost as loud as the explosion. Jim is rolling his eyes and starts his way back to the car.  
  
“Kids,” he mutters.   
  
When they’ve put miles and miles and miles between them and the country, thousands of feet up in the air, Noah asks his question.  
  
“So how does it work? How do we open it?”  
  
Luke is examining it and there’s nothing even remotely distinguishable anywhere outside on its surface. “Not sure how it works, but I know it takes another blood sample to open it.”  
  
Noah swallows. “Shit, did you happen to get more from that Guardian?”  
  
Luke shakes his head. “It’s not his blood that I need. It’s a Grimaldi box so it takes Grimaldi blood.”   
  
“Oh. That is so...dramatic. So lots of blood and explosions with you guys. Got it.”   
  
Luke shoves at his shoulder but then he’s leaning his head against it right after so Noah can’t bring himself to care about the absurdity of _everything_  right now. He puts his own arm around Luke and lets the soft sounds of the plane engine lull him to sleep.


	9. Part Eight

_Part 8_  
  
“Damian, you are aware of what happened last time you tried this tactic on your son, correct? When you denied us the opportunity to take care of it ourselves. And drove him to that warehouse to try and talk sense into him. He escaped. What makes you think this time is any different?”  
  
“I do not,” Damian says, careful to keep his tone neutral because he knows that O’regan is a rank higher than him. But only just. “But they found no trace of Luciano or Mayer in the rubble of the house in Wales, so we know they got away. He would have found the box, he would have the information. We need to know how much he knows and who’s he told.”   
  
O’regan’s eyes narrow. “This has gone long enough. We’ve been more than lenient with your methods, Grimaldi. But so far, I’ve got three of my best agents dead, one--not counting your son--completely rogue, and no clues as to where any of them are located. This cannot go on. They have one box, and we need to take them out now with no questions or hesitation.”   
  
Damian clenches a fist at his side and then nods stiffly. “Of course. I shall stay out of your way.”   
  
“Good. Then it’s done.”   
  
He waits ten minutes after O’regan has swept out of his office before placing another call. “Make sure the plans are ready to go. We move forward tomorrow night.”   
  
***  
They had come back to the news of Zach being a target and him staying with Zoe at a safehouse. Noah had refrained from making another remark about explosions when he saw Jim’s worried look. It hadn’t stopped Luke from teasing him though.  
  
They’re now laying in bed while Luke traces idle patterns on his chest. “You sure Jim and his people know what to do with that box?”  
  
Luke shuffles until he’s face to face with Noah on the pillow. “Yeah, I opened it for them and now they’re going to have a fucking field day with all that information.”  
  
Noah chuckle. He brings a hand up to Luke’s face and smiles when Luke kisses the pad of his thumb. “And you’re okay with what they’re asking you to do?”  
  
Luke frowns a little and then sighs. “Well, I don’t have a choice do I? That was the deal. I have to work for them for at least five years, though I really don’t believe Jim for a second about that, they’re probably going to make me stay longer, and become one their loyal little agents and use what I know and I’ve learned for  _good_. Their words, not mine.”  
  
Luke scowls and Noah leans over to kiss it away. “Hey, it won’t be that bad. You’re already as good as half of those guys and this way, you don’t have to go to jail so I’m failing to see the downside here.”   
  
Luke relaxes a little then. “I know. I just--I really have a problem with  _their_  kind of authority. Jim probably being the only exception.”  
  
Noah moves his fingers through Luke’s hair, playing with the soft strands. “Yeah, but this way you have better access to all the resources you need to find and get the rest of the boxes. Take The Company apart little by little. It’s what you wanted. It’s the right thing to do and then we’ll be free of them forever.”  
  
And Luke finally releases the tension he’d been feeling about the whole idea when Jim had approached him with it months and months ago. “You’re right. God, you’re right. And I feel better knowing that you, our friends, and the rest of our family will always be under constant watch and protection if they ever try anything. Even though it’ll be foolish if they did, we have leverage now.” He looks up to see Noah smirking at him. “What?”  
  
Noah draws him inside his arms and says, “Nothing. Just sometimes you sound like such a crime show and you don’t even know it--ow!” he yelps when Luke twists a nipple.  
  
“What I say about your sense of your humor, darling?”  
  
“That I’m the funniest person you’ll ever meet?”  
  
“Right.” But he burrows himself closer to Noah’s warmth.  
  
“Are you meeting Zoe tomorrow?”  
  
“Yeah, finally told me where they were staying. Am going early evening and update her on everything that happened while we were away.”  
  
“Okay good. Enough talking now.” And Noah slides over until he’s on top, slips his tongue inside Luke’s mouth without pretense, while pushing the sheets away, letting it pool around Luke’s waist.  
  
Luke watches as Noah kisses a path down his chest, tongue dipping briefly into his belly button before that mouth is swallowing his entire cock in one swift move, feeling the head tag at the back of Noahs throat. And fuck, his boyfriend is brilliant at this. Luke moans and loses himself to the sensation of Noah surrounding him completely.  
  
***  
  
Luke tucks his coat tighter around him, keeps his pace normal, and opens his senses up to his surroundings. His shoes makes an echoing sound against the cobbled stone of the street. It's the kind of terrain he hates to have to run across and seeing as someone has been following him since he left the payphone a half a mile back, it's going to be a bitch. He takes his time window shopping, assessing the best way to lose his tracker and notices a narrow alleyway that leads behind the building and up to the next street.  
  
He hopes Zoe doesn't stay when he doesn't show up on time. That's always been their plan in case one of them is compromised but neither one of them would ever go anywhere. It's probably why they never had a chance once they knew the truth. Loyalty above everything else.  
  
Slipping past his follower and down the dirty lane, he picks up his pace. Once he gets up the street, he'll circle back around and --  
  
A metal cover slams into his face and Luke falls to his back, rolling out of the way when the fucking lid comes down hard, clashing with a loud clang against the ground where he'd been lying. He can hear scuffling above his head and then there's a cloth over his face, someone holding his head when he tries to get out of their hold. They check his pockets, pulling his gun out and as they dig around. Someone curses and the cloth cuts off all his breathing.   
  
There's a voice beyond his head that fades away as he gives into the darkness.   
  
"Tell the Boss we have a problem."  
  
***  
Noah’s in his room, trying to sleep because Luke insisted on wearing him out before he left to meet Zoe. Luke knew Noah was going to worry even though Luke was more than capable of taking care of himself. And he was just meeting Zoe for an update. And  _honestly, nothing is going to go wrong, baby, now just relax and let me fuck you through this mattress_. And Noah had promptly forgotten for a little while.   
  
But now Luke’s gone and he’s feeling restless again and he gives up on trying to sleep and flips on the t.v. and decides to stay awake until Luke gets back. He’s startled out of an  _Who’s the Boss?_  re-run by the vibrating of his phone. He grabs at it quickly because any time any of their phones ring, they need to pick it up. It’s a number he doesn’t recognize and Noah tenses.   
  
He slides the touch screen to unlock it and answers, “Hello?”  
  
“If you want Luciano alive, you will come.”  
  
Noah’s entire heart stops inside his chest at the voice. One he hasn’t heard in over a year. “Damian.”  
  
“It’s nice to see hear from you again, Mr. Mayer. You’ve been giving us a lot of trouble.”  
  
Noah’s fist clenches around the sheets on his bed. “What did you do to Luke?”   
  
“Come to the address I will be texting you if you want to know. And I don’t need to tell you not to bring anyone or you will both pay the consequences.”  
  
“How do I know he’s not dead already?” Noah tries to breathe because, no, he can’t think of Luke being dead. He’d know if he was. He’d  _feel_  it.  
  
“He’s alive. I need something from both of you. So you will come or you will never see him again. You’ve got thirty minutes.” And then there’s nothing but a dial tone.  
  
Noah takes a deep breath and runs a shaking hand through his hair. Ten seconds later his phone vibrates again, this time with the text message with the address. He gets up, stuffs the phone into his pocket. He hesitates for a moment before grabbing his gun and tucking that away too. He figures he’ll be disarmed as soon as he gets there but the thought of going in completely naked doesn’t really appeal to him.   
  
He opens the door to his room and peers outside. The house is completely quiet and dark, meaning Chris is probably in bed already or at a late night shift at the hospital. He walks out as silently as he can anyway, grabs his car keys and shrugs his jacket on. He waits until he gets inside the car to make another call and spares a manic moment to think  _here we go again_.  
  
 _What is his fucking life?_  
  
***  
  
He doesn't open his eyes when he finally comes to. There are two separate voices arguing over his head. The moment he let them know he was awake they'll stop and Luke needs to know as much as he can before they do whatever they are going to him.  
  
"We can make him wake up."  
  
"The Boss said not to touch him before he gets here."  
  
There's a door opening and closing. "He is faking."  
  
Luke tenses, weighs the option of not opening his eyes but his father knows him too well so he decides to play the game for now. "My father taught me all about faking, didn't you, Dad." He doesn't fight when they drag him to his feet and across the room, shoving him on the lone metal chair situated in the middle of a huge, empty room. They bind him to the arms, tight and tight until he makes a sound. The tall one with the pointy ears and teeth grins, winking at him while the shorter of the two, sandy blonde hair falling across his eyes, fiddles with the EMG.  
  
“Aw, Dad, we gotta stop meeting like this. Really.” As torture rooms go it's really top notch. Nothing to distract you from the pain they'll inflict. Walls are made so you can hear your own screams echoed back. He smirks at Damian. "I'm flattered."  
  
His father does not smile or give him any indication on what's to come. When he waves his hand the other men disappear into the shadows at the far corner. "This does not have to be, Luciano. I am trying to save you."  
  
Luke laughs, throwing his head back as he shakes it. "You have a funny way of showing it." Then he reconsiders, saying, "Although I guess to you this is love, isn't it, Damian."  
  
"Love is a foolish idea. We gain nothing from it."  
  
"You are pathetic, do you know that?" Luke leans forward, locking his eyes with Damian, "you lost at love. Mom chose Holden. And you couldn't handle that. You had to take me away from the people that loved me because you hated that she saw through you, that she wanted more for me."  
  
"We come into this world expecting things to go our way and when they don't we seek the most expedient path to get what we want." Damian winds his way around Luke's chair, shaking his head. "You've let your emotions compromise you. We can't let anything stand in the way of what we've built here, Luciano. This," he waves his hands around the room, "is your empire."  
  
Luke's laugh is rough, mirthless. "Death and destruction. I’ll pass, thanks."  
  
"What else is out there for you?"  
  
"Noah."  
  
Damian's eyes flash with hatred and he spits out the name. "Noah. This all started because of him. He led you down the wrong path, Luciano. But that won't be a problem anymore."  
  
He freezes at the words, glances up and sees that Damian is smiling, dark and mean.  
  
"What have you done?"  
  
"Nothing yet, my son. I simply made a call and told your  _friend_  where you were and how he could save you."  
  
Luke takes a deep breath and stares at Damian until he makes him shift on his feet. "You hurt him and I will kill you." He sees the flash of surprise on his father's face and nods, "I promise you that."  
  
"What is it about this boy, Luciano?"  
  
He doesn't need to answer that. "You wouldn't understand."  
  
Damian inclines his head. "Perhaps not. It won't matter in the end. You cannot expect to win."  
  
Luke's gaze clashes with Damian. "Don't count me out so fast."  
  
"Make this easier on yourself. Tell me where the box is."  
  
He leans back in the chair, crossing his legs at the knees and when Damian is looking, smiles wide. "Make me."  
  
"Why must you always take the hard road? I am trying to help you. They want you dead, Luciano."  
  
"I am aware," Luke arranges his face into a thoughtful expression,"and if I remember correctly, you let them try once already."  
  
Damian looks away. "I had no choice but this time I have the power. And when I bring them Mayer's body they'll do whatever I ask."  
  
Bile rises in his throat at the thought of Noah being in danger but he needs to concentrate. That's the only way he can save them both. Bravado is his best friend. "You'll never get to him. I made sure of that."  
  
His father smiles. "We shall see." Another flick of his wrist and the two men reappear in the room, at the ready for their orders. "Leave him alive." He leaves the room with those words echoing around them and Luke sets his shoulders as the first of his two new best friends walks toward him.  
  
Never a dull fucking day.  
  
***  
  
Zoe opens the door and frowns, not expecting the person on the other side and then adrenaline kicks in. “What happened to Luke?” She’s already putting her coat on and placing her guns on her person before Jim answers.  
  
“Grimaldi’s got him.”  
  
“Fuck fuck fuck.” She steps inside the coat closet and grabs her favorite dagger and tucking that away too. “Gonna need all the help we can get. Okay, let’s go. We’ll take your car. Zach might need mine.”  
  
Jim’s eyebrows furrow. “Zach’s in there?” Jim peers over her shoulder but Zoe shoves him out. “Yeah, I’ll call him from the car and let him know I’ll be gone but we need to go now, Romeo.”  
  
Jim’s eyes snap back to her, a faint blush on his cheeks. “Yeah, sorry. Car’s this way.”   
  
“How did you know about Luke?”  
  
“Noah called. He’s the one who got the call from Damian. He’s on his way there too.”  
  
“Quadruple  _fuck_. Getting the contact directly from the Boss is not a good sign.”  
  
They reach the car and Jim hops in first. “Is any of this a good sign?”  
  
Zoe gets in, frustrated and flustered in a way Jim has never seen her. “Shut up and drive,” is all she says. And he does.   
  
***  
  
Luke's head snaps to the side as a gloved fist hits his face, makes the corner of his eye bleed to match the cut on his lips. The booted foot slams into his stomach and he bends forward without letting much sound come out. His head hurts from the electrodes digging into his temples, the flesh underneath burning. His head comes back up and is met by another hit, this time a slap across his cheek. Those are the fucking worst of all. The sting takes forever to dull.  
  
He does prefer it to the electroshock though.  
  
They tall one with the Orc face and thin, reedy body makes his way to the machine. He prepares for the pain to start in his head. There is no way this isn't going to cause some kind of damage. And the only fucking neurologist he knew is a douchebag that used to sleep with the love of his life.  _That_  was fucking torture.  
  
"Wait, I'm not done yet."  
  
The sandy one -- that's what he is in Luke's mind -- steps closer, leaning down to meet Luke's eyes. "I really don't mind you not telling us what we need to know." He touches his crotch and smiles hard. "I enjoy killing you slowly. Your broken body is an image that will get me through some lonely nights, boy."  
  
Luke shakes his head and starts to respond but Sandy pulls out with a back-handed slap, his ring catching and cutting across Luke's cheek.  
  
A loud boom shakes the floor and Luke smirks as he swings his head back around, meets the dead man's eyes. "I am going to love watching this." The door blows open and Luke manages to throw his weight to the side and land on the ground as the room fills with gunfire. He makes out Zoe's shoes as she enters and calls out to her, "Kill the fuckers."  
  
"That's the plan, coz."  
  
Jim steps in the room, aims his gun, firing a shot that takes out Orc. He pulls Luke back up, cutting his ropes in one move and rips the pads from his temples. "Can you walk?"  
  
Luke nods fast, grabs the gun Jim hands him and turns to watch Zoe slit Sandy's throat open. She gives him a once over. "Awesome. All your parts still on you. Noah'll be thrilled." She's already out the door, gun firing as he makes it through the doorway and stops for a second in his tracks. "You blew a fucking hole in the building?!"  
  
"No time for finesse, Luke, okay?"  
  
"The whole goddamn place is going to come down on us!"  
  
Jim aims behind Luke, shoots and Luke brings his own gun up, taking out two guys charging toward them. "We'll discuss proper rescue protocol when we don't have a battalion shooting at us." They run together through the path that Zoe's clearing for them. She doesn't bother reloading when her rounds end, dropping the gun and taking another one from the ones strapped to her back. Jim and Luke cover her as she dives through the gap they'd made in the wall. Luke follows behind with Jim carrying the back end. He doesn't want to leave him to it when there's a spray of gunfire aimed at the men spilling out of the building.  
  
Noah stands near the car with a semi-automatic positioned in his arms and Luke blinks at that image.  
  
It's ridiculously hot.  
  
"Not the time, Luke," he mutters as he runs toward him. Noah stops, dropping the gun to his side and pulling Luke's head to his own, leaning against it.  
  
"You need to stop scaring the hell out of me, Luke."  
  
"Make out later. Kill some bad guys now," Zoe yells at them and Luke turns around, takes out two men as Noah flanks him, raises his own gun. There's a group of them surrounding Jim. Luke takes off, firing into the crowd and doesn't look back until they've got bodies littered around them.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He doesn't get a chance to say anything. More men are running to them and he glances at Jim. "Strategic retreat?"  
  
"This is what I'm saying."  
  
They turn and Luke's heart drops to his knees.   
  
Damian's standing barely five feet from Noah, gun cocked and steady at Noah's chest and Luke screams before he can stop it, runs toward them but he's not going make it. He won't be able to. Noah's gun is too far away for him to reach. Zoe's running from the other side of the car and he hears her yell, "Give it up, Cousin Damian. Your plan didn't work."  
  
Luke's almost there. Almost there. Close enough to hear Damian say, "I expected better from you, Zoe." His finger presses on the trigger and Luke's entire world slows down to that one second. He watches Noah flinch and then Zoe's there, standing between the bullet and Noah. The shot hits her chest, sends her tumbling back and another scream tears from Luke's throat. It happens in a split second. Damian aims again and Luke points, fires and hits him in the hand. He drops the gun, turns in shock to Luke and whatever he sees makes him run.  
  
He wants to go after him but Noah's holding onto Zoe, pressing down on her chest and Luke throws his gun to the ground, kneels next to her. "Zo. Zoe." There's so much blood on her clothes and their hands.  
  
Kill shot.  
  
His mind races with ways to fix this.  
  
Jim pulling him up by the back of his shirt. "Get her in the car. We need to leave  _now_." Noah's picking Zoe up, pushing Luke into the car and he grabs Zoe as Noah places her with him. Jim drives through the men shooting at the car and Noah's got his gun aimed out the window, shooting back.  
  
But all Luke can see is Zoe's eyes, large and pained, mouth struggling for air, blood, bleeding, dying.


	10. Part Nine

_Part 9_  
  
"What do you want me to do, Luke?"  
  
Luke can't think with Zoe bleeding out on his lap. He looks up frantically at Noah and then out to the road, the brake lights on the car in front of them vibrant and red in the darkness. The car runs on the edge of the road and Jim curses as they almost spin into the side of the hill. Noah looks back from the front seat and holds out his hand, grips Zoe's tight. "Come on, Zoe."  
  
Zoe answers between gasps. "Don't let the motherfucker win."  
  
Luke holds her closer, his hand warm and sticky with blood where he's pressing down on the wound. Her eyes are dimming and he leans his head down, brushes kisses across her forehead. "Stay awake, Zo. Please, please stay awake."  
  
One of her hands is gripping onto his shirts, material fists in her hand and her voice chokes blood and Luke knows, he knows what is happening. He understands where the bullet landed, how it cut through one of the aortas in her heart and it's swelling with blood, flooding internally. It'll slow down in minutes while her system shuts down. He knows that. She won't make it. The hit was meant to kill.  
  
Grief fills up his chest and throat, makes it hard to breathe, to think beyond needing to reach Jim's contacts, to get help. "How long until we can get her to someone?"  
  
"Two minutes," Jim yells back at him frantically while he guides the car between traffic, skids around another corner and Luke hears the honking of horns. Somewhere in the distance there might be a siren but that doesn't matter, not right now.  
  
"Hey," Zoe manages around a mouthful of blood, "don't look that way, Luke." She closes her eyes and he shakes her not caring that it's not going to help. Nothing is going to help.  
  
"Don't do this to me."  
  
Her mouth pulls up in the softest of smiles, one tear falling out from under her lid as she replies, voice almost gone. "You'll be okay, dork face," she reaches up with her free hand and cups his cheek, leaves an imprint of her in red. "You have Noah. And the Snyders will take of you. I can -- I can be --" Her breathing is labored, limbs heavy on Luke as she turns her head to look at Noah. "You don't let him get away-- with any shit -- you hear me, coz-in-law." Noah kisses her hand, silent tears gathering in his eyes now and this isn't -- she can't die on him. She can't.  
  
"You are my family. We're going to be free. You have a chance to --"  
  
Her hand pinches his chin. "That -- that was never -- for me, coz. Don't be sad. I'll be with Mama now. It's okay. I'm okay. Take care of -- Noah. Be happy. Love --" The light in her eyes dim, fades until he can't see her there anymore and Luke grips tighter, can't let her go, begs as her last breath stutters and she's gone.  
  
"No no no no no..."  
  
He bends his head to touch hers and squeezes his eyes shut. The sob rips out of his throat and he clings to Zoe, rocks her back and forth like he used to when she woke up with nightmares. He wants this to be that. A nightmare.  
  
Noah's hand is warm on the back of his neck. "Luke, we need to get her inside."  
  
Luke shoves him away and holds on, lets his hand loosen from where it pressed against Zoe's heart, pulls it back, dripping with her life. He looks out of the car, beyond to the brick building, and meets Noah's eyes. "Damian did this." Jim's opening the other door and he looks wrecked as he looks at them.  
  
Luke looks down at Zoe, eyes open and empty, reaches over to close them.  
  
"Get her inside."  
  
He moves out of the car and toward the house, Noah running behind him. "Luke, stop!"  
  
***  
  
But Luke doesn’t want to stop. In fact, he wants to do the opposite of stopping. There’s nothing but pure and unadulterated rage and hate simmering in his gut, spreading through his bloodstream like poison and he welcomes it. He needs it for what he’s about to do. He doesn’t think about the pain, pushes it away until the only thing that’s left is the burning need to  _kill_.   
  
He hears Noah still yelling after him but he ignores him and enters the safehouse Jim set up for them, bypassing the living room where he knows Jim is going to lay Zoe’s body. And his heart seizes so painfully in his chest that it momentarily paralyzes him and he has to stop to breathe through it. He lifts a hand to rub unconsciously at it, trying to soothe, like he can reach inside and stop his entire being from spasming.   
  
Noah takes advantage of the lapse in his steps to catch up and approaches him tentatively. “Luke, I’m so sor--”  
  
And  _no_ , Luke doesn’t have time for that. He snaps out of it and continues to walk towards the room with the chest that Luke knows Jim keeps there with extra weapons. The gun he had given Luke ran out of bullets and he needs another.   
  
“Luke, please talk to me. Or say something, anything.”  
  
Luke opens the chest and grabs two guns and stuffs one in his jacket, the other in the waistband of his pants. He wipes at the blood dripping from his forehead from the blows he received earlier, barely feeling any of them now.   
  
“Jesus, Luke. At least let me patch you up.” Noah goes to push the strands of hair from his face but Luke flinches and pulls away, eyes cold and hard. “Luke.”  
  
“Get out of my way, Noah.”  
  
“Not until you tell me what you’re doing.”  
  
“Nothing you can talk me out of so don’t even try and stop me.”  
  
“I wasn’t. I just need to know so I know what to expect when I come with you.”  
  
That makes Luke pause. His heart, brain, his entire  _being_  battling with getting to Damian  _now now now_  and the idea of Noah being caught in the cross-fire again. Like he had been back there, like Zoe wa-- _no_.  
  
Noah watches the emotions play across his face and levels him with a steely and determined stare. “All right, I’m making the decision for you. I’m coming with, so let’s go.”   
  
Luke is silent for another moment and then nods stiffly, handing Noah another gun and then they’re sweeping out of the room and pass the living room. Luke pauses again, sees Jim gently arrange Zoe’s body on the couch and he forces himself not to throw up.  _God_. No, not now. He can’t afford to break down now. He feels Noah place a steadying hand on his arm and it rights him enough to meet Jim’s gaze and a look of understanding passes between them.  
  
Luke swallows and says, “Stay with her?”  
  
Jim nods. “Give him hell, Luke.”  
  
Luke nods back and then they’re back outside, getting in the car, Luke trying not glance at all the blood in the backseat.   
  
“I’m driving.”   
  
Luke doesn’t even argue with Noah and hands him the keys. Luke rattles off directions to where he knows Damian would have gone and Noah steps on the gas pedal and speeds out the big empty lot.  
  
***  
  
Luke knows Damian would need to gather everything he needed to try and book it out of the country. And this is the place closest that contains all his back-ups. Passports, money, different identities. Luke knows he’s fleeing because he went against The Company’s orders from what he had gathered when he was having the shit beat out of him. The two men, cocky in their advantage, talking about Damian going rogue but more than happy to follow his orders. Sick bastards. Luke tries to ignore the irony of Damian betraying The Company like he did, but for totally different reasons.  
  
They slow down and coast through the side of the building and don’t see any of the lights on. They’re just turning a corner when a car screeches by, almost crashing into them, Damian visible in the driver’s seat.  
  
Noah makes a sharp turn and then he’s after him, foot on the gas pedal and hands steady behind the wheel. And Luke is impressed despite himself. The roads Damian is taking are back alleyways and side roads so they’re mostly empty. Luke knows he’s on his way to a plane, probably a helicopter on private grounds so they’re probably not going to have too much trouble running into other unexpected cars. This is good, less obstacles. He glances at Noah.  
  
“Can you get close to him as you can and keep her steady?”  
  
Noah looks over to him, worry etched all over his features but he gives Luke a small smile. “Be careful,  _please_.”   
  
Luke actually smiles in return and Noah speeds up until they’re only a few feet away. Damian turns a sharp right and tries to lose them around a corner but Noah stays on him. Luke rolls his window down, one arm clutching the inside frame of the door and the other reaching for his gun. He sticks half his body out, takes aim and shoots. The first bullet goes through the back glass of Damian’s car and shatters. Damian falters a bit and skids but rights himself. Luke shoots again, this time aiming for a tire and hits it, sees it blow up and the rim screeching against the asphalt, sparks showering the ground.   
  
They’re reaching a dead end with a ledge and Luke has no idea how big the drop is on the other side when Damian’s back tire completely gives out and then he’s spinning out of control, trying to break but too close to the edge and he goes over, out of sight.   
  
Noah slams on the breaks and turns the wheel, forcing Luke to hang on tight, the momentum forcing him back inside and he hits his head against the roof of the car on his way back in. But Noah’s got the car under control now and they’re halted close to the edge but thankfully not over it.  
  
He’s being gathered in Noah’s arms before he can think of anything else and he’s kissing him all over and asking him if he’s okay and Luke can only nod but he needs to get out. Needs to make sure, see for himself that Damian went over that ledge.   
  
“I need to see, Noah.”  
  
Noah frowns but lets him go and then they’re both climbing out of the car and are standing at the edge. And it’s not a big drop at all, maybe fifteen feet. And Luke sees where Damian’s car hit on impact and it’s crushed but it’s not too wrecked.   
  
Damian could survive that. And sure enough, he sees him trying to force the door open on the driver’s side but can’t, probably jammed when he crashed. He breaks a window open instead and he’s climbing out. Before Luke is even aware of what he’s doing, he’s climbing down the side of the ledge, and jumps the few feet down. He touches the ground and sees Damian running as fast as he can.  
  
“Luke!” Noah yells.  
  
But Luke’s already running after Damian, gun in his hand, not hearing anything through the white noise in his ears. He’s not going to let him get away. This ends now, whether it’s him dead or Damian dead. He would really prefer for it to be Damian.   
  
Luke catches up to him when he turns a corner, because it’s another dead end and unless Damian figures out a way to scale the huge building in front of him, he’s trapped. Luke’s got no idea where they are and he doesn’t care. He sees Damian is unarmed, probably didn’t have time to grab a weapon after the crash.   
  
Adrenaline is pumping through his system. And Damian slowly turns around, hands in the air, wide eyes on Luke. But Luke doesn’t really see him, all he sees is red. Red like the markers on all the files he’s had to turn in when he’s completed a kill, red like Noah’s favorite flannel shirt, red like Zoe’s blood.   
  
He raises his arm, gun pointed right at Damian’s heart. He doesn’t even have to say anything, doesn’t want to. He cocks it, watches the expression of horror dawn on Damian’s face--  
  
“Luke.”  _Noah_. His voice is soft though, like it’s any other night and he’s trying to coax Luke out of bringing the bowls of ice cream to bed whenever he has a sudden midnight craving.   
  
Luke spares him a glance and then his eyes are back on Damian. “Don’t, Noah. I know what you’re going to say. And I don’t want to hear some speech about how I can’t kill my own father, that I’m going to regret it, and it’ll eat up at me and I’ll lose a part of my humanity. Or any type of bullshit like that. Because believe me when I say, out of all the people I’ve killed in my lifetime, this one is going to be the one that I’m actually never going to regret.”  
  
Damian’s mouth drops open and he tries to speak, “Son--”  
  
“Shut up,” Luke growls. “Oh my fucking god, don’t even try. Don’t call me that and don’t say anything to me ever again. Just shut up.”  
  
“Luke,” Noah tries again. “I wasn’t going to say any of that. I think the bastard deserves to die. And if you really want to kill him, right here, right now, I won’t stop you.”   
  
And that surprises Luke enough to look at Noah again.  
  
Noah continues, “I just want you to think about this first, okay? Damian is more useful to all of us alive. With all that he knows about The Company. Let them lock him up. Let the government take him and use him for what they need. You know,” he pauses, “you know what they do to traitors to the country like him. And as far as we know, they’ve never been able to catch any of the major higher-ups involved in The Company. This is huge. Just  _think_  for a minute about it, baby.”  
  
Luke softens a little at the endearment but his fingers are still hard and sure against his gun. But fuck, he knows Noah’s right. Logically, he knows. But Damian is right there and he’s so close to ending it, ending everything and he can bury the past two decades of lies, pain, and betrayal along with his body. He just needs to do it, squeeze the trigger and it’ll all be over.   
  
“Zoe would want this, Luke.”   
  
And Luke’s eyes snap to his, heart rate kicking up about ten notches against his ribcage.   
  
Noah’s eyes are incredibly sad looking at him but he’s also so fucking earnest that Luke feels himself finally shake a little. “She’d know this was the best course of action to take. She’d turn Damian in, knowing what use he’d be. Don’t--”  
  
Luke’s gaze turns watery but his gun lowers a little.  
  
“--don’t let her death be in vain.” Noah chokes a little on the words. Luke knows that a part of Noah carries the guilt of her death, not being able to stop Zoe from taking the bullet for him.   
  
“Hey,” Luke says softly. “It’s not your fault.” He sees Damian shift at the corner of his eye and he raises his gun again. “Don’t even fucking think about it.” Damian stills. And Luke takes a deep breath, trying to calm his heart, make sense of the big mess of thoughts in his head before coming to a decision.  
  
“Zoe  _was_  always the most strategic one out of all us. She was a good agent, the best.” He glares at Damian, his voice full of venom. “None of you deserved her.” He finally lowers his gun completely. “And she would have wanted you to suffer for everything you did. Can’t exactly do that if you’re dead.”   
  
He hears Noah's quiet sigh of relief almost at the same time he sees Damian’s more pronounced one. Noah takes a step closer to Luke, arm going around his shoulder, forehead pressing to his temple and Luke turns his face to him.  
  
“Luciano, you are doing the ri--”  
  
But Damian doesn’t finish his sentence because Luke’s entire head snaps back up along with his gun, and he fires once, bullet slicing through one of Damian’s kneecaps and Damian falls to the ground with a pained shout, clutching at his leg.  
  
“I told you to never fucking speak to me ever again.” He turns back to see Noah’s shocked face and shrugs. “No one said we needed to take him back in one piece.”   
  
And he’s being gathered back in Noah’s arms and Luke clings to him, his own knees buckling, adrenaline slowly wearing off. Then the tears come, hot and quick, sliding down his face and against the side of Noah’s neck. Noah holds him through the quiet sobs that rock his body because he can’t seem to let himself make any noise. He starts murmuring something against Noah’s shoulder incoherently and Noah pulls back gently so he can hear what he’s saying.  
  
Luke touches his face with one hand and says again, “You’re alive.” His eyes are wide, like he’s finally realizing and can’t quite believe it.   
  
Noah gives him a watery smile and kisses him softly. “We both are, baby. We both are.”


	11. Epilogue

_Epilogue_  
  
The car winds up the gravel drive slowly, the early morning light dusting everything in a mist that makes Luke snuggle closer to Noah's side. He makes out the lines of a barn in the distance.  
  
"There's a barn."  
  
Noah stirs next to him, craning his neck to look out the windshield, nodding and saying, "It came standard with the barn," laughing when Luke elbows his side. "Looks like it needs a paint job." He glances at Luke, folds their hands together and smiles softly. "You ready to be a farm boy?"  
  
"I've had worse jobs."  
  
They pull up the back door as it opens, spilling out Faith and a warm looking woman who runs down the back stairs, crying as she reaches for Noah as soon as he gets out of the car. He alternates between the woman and Faith, calming them down. Luke's steps out of the car awkwardly but then he's enveloped into a hug that smells of cookies and lavender. There's a familiar rush of emotion running through him. He catches Noah's smile and returns it.  
  
When he pulls back he tucks a strand of the woman's curly hair behind her ear. "Emma, right?"  
  
Her laugh is infectious.  
  
***  
  
They lie together, toes and knees and groins and chest touching. Noah’s breaths are normal again and Luke grins into the shoulder he can reach, bites down on the flesh. He likes to know he can make Noah unravel without much work sometimes.   
  
“Okay. So.”   
  
Noah leans back slightly, just enough space to look him in the eyes. “I haven’t asked yet because it’s been too crazy.”   
  
Luke gives him a narrowed look. “What?”   
  
“So do you think we’ve fulfilled our quota of life threatening situations?”  
  
“Oh  _yes_. No more bad guys.” He pauses. “Well. Maybe except for the ones I have to deal with at my new job...”  
  
Noah buries his face in Luke’s chest and laughs.   
  
***  
  
Life on a farm is pretty exciting if you ask Luke. During their first week home, there was enough drama to fill up an entire month.  
  
Noah brushes his lips over Luke's cheeks as he deposits a plateful of pancakes in front of him.  
  
"I think it's only like that in Oakdale."  
  
Luke kind of loves it.  
  
***  
  
Noah takes his first walk by the lake alone. Luke's learning how to ride a horse with Holden and Faith which in itself is hilarious . He decides to give them some time to bond. He finds his way to the willow tree near the back of the house that marks the border of the lake. Making his way past the trees he comes to rest at the entrance to the gated family cemetery.  
  
Lily's grave sits in the center, grass trimmed and flowers placed on it. His eyes shift to the newer stone not too far from hers and it makes him shudder to see Luke's name imprinted on the cold stone. That's not an image he wanted. He turns quickly the other way and finds his spot under the tree at the edge of the lake.  
  
Closing his eyes as the waves lap on the shore, he dozes until he hears footsteps approaching. A shadow falls over him and he opens one eye. "How did Buttercup treat you?"  
  
Luke's face can only be described as disgruntled. "That horse hates me."  
  
"Mare. And she doesn't hate anyone. She's like a hundred years old." He pulls at Luke until he settles next to him, wrapping his arms around Noah's waist, and resting his head against Noah's chest. He sighs deeply and Noah curves one hand over his hips, strokes gently until Luke's breathing changes.  
  
"This your make out spot, Mayer?"  
  
Noah laughs.  
  
***  
  
"I am not going to work for you, Lucinda. Forget it."  
  
She scowls at him before leaving the room in a huff.  
  
Luke throws his hands up in the air and says, "How the hell do you put up with someone that stubborn?"  
  
Holden and Noah stare at each other then start laughing.  
  
"Oh, shut up."  
  
***  
  
Sometimes Noah wakes up with nightmares.  
  
He doesn't tell Luke about them. There's so much happiness in Luke, peace that Noah wasn't sure they would find and he doesn't want to mar that.  
  
So he never says anything.  
  
He simply makes his way downstairs to the kitchen and whips up a quick hot chocolate, takes one of Emma's knitted throws and goes outside on the porch.  
  
Holden finds him there every time, never saying a word and sits down next to Noah until he falls asleep again.  
  
***  
  
Faith's feet lay across his lap while Noah's head lolls on his shoulder. There's some sort of ritual with Noah and Faith about movies. Luke gets it. He and Zoe used to --  
  
The thought gets cut off when Noah's breath falls across his neck. He turns his face to brush kisses across Noah's forehead.  
  
Noah mumbles a quiet, "Don't be a tease, Luke. No sex in the house. Emma's rule."  
  
Luke's eyes widen and his face goes red as Faith falls off the couch laughing and he throws a pillow at her head.  
  
***  
  
Jim shows up at the farm with some papers for Luke and Noah to sign, making them legally alive again and hands Luke an envelope, touching his shoulder as he goes out to enjoy the barbecue.  
  
Fourth of July tradition in the Snyder family.  
  
Luke glances down at the package then back up to stare at the crowd of people. Noah's laughing hard at something Grayson says to him. He chuckles when Grayson face does a complicated dance at catching sight of Jim. He is going to enjoy watching that happen. His eyes shift over to where Casey's retelling some epic stories, arms going high and wide, making Reid roll his eyes. He turns to look at Chris and they change into something softer, less mocking.  
  
That's one he is never going to get.  
  
His sister has her arms wrapped around Holden's shoulder, grinning as she shows off the ring on her finger and her fiancé, Parker stands next to her, matching grin on his face.  
  
He knows what he'll find in the envelope.  
  
Luke asked Jim for the favor in the midst of his grief for Zoe. They'd followed her wishes and given her organs away, leaving nothing that wasn't used behind. He wanted to know where it had all gone.  
  
Noah sees him from the outside, grins and waves at him.  
  
He nods, throws the package in the trash and heads outside.  
  
***  
  
"What is this?"  
  
Holden's holding out a black velvet ring box.  
  
"Open it."  
  
Inside there's a large silver wedding ring. Luke glances up at Holden who is holding back a grin.  
  
"That's the ring your Mom bought me for our wedding."  
  
Luke's heart starts beating fast against his chest. "Is this your way of giving me permission?"  
  
Holden shrugs. "It's my way of telling you to man up."  
  
Luke laughs as he hugs Holden.  
  
***  
  
"I thought there were rules."  
  
He laughs at the way Noah rolls his eyes and huffs out a breath, "Oh my god, let it go, baby. I was dreaming." Luke opens his legs and moans when Noah's knee slides between them. He pushes against Luke's straining dick, mouths kisses across Luke's shoulders and grips hard on his hips. The pleasure shoots through Luke's hands and legs, makes him gasp against the pillow.  
  
"About you and me having sex in this house when you were sixteen?"  
  
"What can I say? I am a kinky bastard."  
  
Noah's hands slip underneath his pajama pants, cupping Luke's balls softly as he nuzzles against his neck. Shivers roll down his spine when Noah bites at the strained chords of Luke's neck, easing the nips with gentle kisses. His hand curls around Luke's cock, strokes dry but good, so good. Luke's stomach curls with want. He pushes into Noah's hands, digs his fingers into his hips and jerks up into the tight hold Noah has on him.  
  
"Fuck."  
  
"Yes. That's the next step to my plan."  
  
Luke turns his head, catches Noah's groan with his mouth, pulling back to pant against his lips. They move slow, in rhythm, taking their time because they have it now.  
  
"I love you."  
  
Noah stops moving, eyes coming up to hold Luke's gaze.  
  
"I love you, too."  
  
Luke closes his eyes as Noah grabs his hip tighter, pace quickening, relentless and he wants to tell him to slow back down but it's hot and wet, Noah's mouth sucking on his neck, hand wet from Luke's pre-come, sliding easier on his shaft. Lips nip at his lobe and when Noah whispers, "I want to taste you so bad, baby," Luke comes with a startled yelp, vision whiting out until all he senses is Noah.  
  
***  
  
He is going to marry Noah.  
  
Luke grins as he pushes the drawer closed and hides the box Holden had given him. Leaning back against the oak dresser, he looks around the room and feels the grin on his face get bigger. The room is a mess but it's their mess. Noah's books are thrown on the floor and Luke's clothes are strewn over their bed. The plan hadn't been to stay here. Holden and Lucinda insisted that they settle on the farm until they'd both recovered.  
  
That had been six months ago.  
  
If someone had told Luke two years ago that he would be living in a quiet town on his family farm with the love of his life, he would have laughed in their faces. Then probably punched. But that was then.  
  
This is now.  
  
He shifts his weight away from his shoulder, rubbing at the muscle as it twinges, he grimaces when it stiffens up more. The physical therapy that Chris is forcing at him is helping a little but he doesn't know if it will ever be the same. He only has a few months before he is due out to Langley and he needs to get in shape. Jim isn't telling him what he'll be doing but Luke is aware his skill set falls into only one category.  
  
Noah’s wants to go back into politics, help Grayson rebuild his campaign. The statements that went out by Grayson explaining the reasons why Noah was suddenly back from the dead was received by the media with mixed reactions. But well. If there’s a lot of talk and conspiracy theories as to why Noah had to fake his death because of some unknown danger targeting Grayson’s campaign, it’s more or less the truth. It heightened Grayson’s political platform in the limelight though. And they’ve got an entire government branch looking after them now, so Luke counts that as a win.   
  
The door opens and Noah walks in, arms full of laundry and when he spots Luke, he grins at him. "Hi, baby."  
  
It hits him sometimes, like a thunderbolt, how much he loves Noah. That he will do anything for him. Anything. The thought of how much Luke needs him to even breathe is mildly terrifying. Noah is talking but Luke isn't listening. His gaze follows Noah as he moves around the room until his body can't take it anymore.  
  
Noah looks up in surprise as Luke approaches and starts to say something but he freezes in place. Whatever he sees on Luke's face makes his eyes go soft and reach for Luke, gripping his arms tight. Luke doesn't give him a chance, pushes him up against the wall, sucking on his bottom lip, biting hard as he pulls Noah's shirt over his head in one swift move, baring Noah's skin to his view. He takes in the unmarred terrain, rubs one hand over Noah's stomach, making him shiver and throw his head back. Luke nips at the exposed skin of Noah's throat, nuzzles his face in Noah's neck. He sighs when Noah's arms wrap around him, smoothing down his back, stroking slowly.  
  
"What's going on, babe?'  
  
Luke pulls his upper body back, leaves them touching from the waist down, groans when Noah cock rubs against his own. Noah's eyes are half-lidded, mouth swollen from Luke's bites, one eyebrow raising into his hairline as he looks back at Luke. His lips twitch upward and when he brings one hand up to stroke over Luke's hair, holding his neck in place as he dips to kiss his the side of his mouth, Luke can't stop the words from falling out.  
  
"Marry me."  
  
Noah jerks back, eyes wide and mouth hanging open as he stares at Luke. He takes one step back and then another. "What?"  
  
Luke makes a face at himself because that was not the way he was planning to do that. "Fuck. I - that was not what I meant to say."  
  
Noah's face goes blank. "Oh."  
  
"No, babe! It's not -- I am screwing this up right now." There's so much he wants to say to Noah. Stupid, endless words that won't even come close to describing what he means to him. Luke can't fathom he'll ever be able to do that because there are no words. "You - you were like my miracle."  
  
"Luke."  
  
He waves his hands in the air to stop Noah and says, "I know that -- that's extreme but it's the truth. I -- I spent most of my life alone, okay? Doing things I won't ever be able to completely let go of or live with," Luke thinks about all the loss that they've both endured, "I wasn't supposed to get to have someone like you. You weren't supposed to exist. And then you did and everything, every fucking thing that I believed changed." He wants to stop talking. Right now. His mouth on the other hand doesn't seem to get the message. "I love you. I love you so much that it scares me."  
  
Noah hasn't moved but at that he takes a step closer. "Why?"  
  
"Because before I had nothing. I mean, I had Zoe." Her name sticks in his chest, threatens to let all of the pain her death causes him to overflow but he manages to push it back down. He needs Noah to understand what he is. Noah is only a few inches away and Luke's hands twitch, grabs at him, fingers burning against skin. "But that was -- different. I didn't think that I could have -- this." He brushes his mouth against Noah's, licks slowly and moans when Noah opens to let him in. He rolls his tongue languidly, takes his time and gets lost.  
  
Luke blinks his eyes open slowly when Noah pulls away, hands cupping Luke's face and he rubs his nose on Luke's cheek. "You -- you are everything I didn't even know I was missing."  
  
His heart stutters in his chest and he can't pull his gaze away from Noah's.  
  
"I spent my life looking for you. And somehow I got lucky to have  _you_  find  _me._ "  
  
Luke leans his head against Noah's chin and snorts. "Yeah, okay. Because my intentions were so --"  
  
"Shut up. We talked about this. Stop it. You didn't know."  
  
He shakes his head and Noah sighs loudly. "That shouldn't make a difference."  
  
Noah's hands find their way under Luke's shirt, caressing in soft strokes until he can feel the heat pooling in her spine. His voice drifts across Luke's ear. "I don't care how you came to me. All that matters is that you're here." There's a tremble in his voice and Luke's digs his fingers into Noah's back, leans away to meet Noah's eyes.  
  
"Are you saying yes?"  
  
Noah grins. "Are you asking?"  
  
Luke laughs and nods quickly. "I already asked for your hand." He doesn't giggle at the look on Noah's face -- and no one will ever prove it -- and just holds on tight. "I was planning to take you out and you know do the whole on bended knee thing."  
  
There's delight and hope and love on Noah's face as he kisses Luke hard, once, twice before he says, "I never knew you were so old-fashioned, baby."  
  
Luke thinks there's a lot of things they don't know about each other yet. They are going to face new enemies and problems. From Luke's new situation to Noah's decision on re-entering the world of politics and how that will affect their family’s good intentions. It's never going to be easy for them, never as easy as it is between them but Luke knows that together they can make it.  
  
"You want me to do it the right way?"  
  
Noah rolls his eyes, threads one hand through Luke's hair, and holds the back of his neck, rubbing gently, "Since when have we done anything the ‘right’ way?"  
  
"That's true."  
  
"You are such a dork."  
  
He grins wide and wiggles his eyebrows at Noah. "This is why you love me."  
  
"Says you."  
  
Luke bites his lip and says, "So. That's a yes right?"  
  
"Yes." Noah bends his head and kisses Luke sweetly, taking his time and meaning the answer with everything he has.  
  
Joy springs up in his chest and Luke folds his hand over Noah's shoulders and kisses him back.  
  
This is his life now.  
  
Family and light and love and everything he never thought he'd have.  
  
Luke can't imagine anything better.  
  
 _End_.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Kat says:** Thank you to Moey and her fucking awesome talent and infinite patience. She is my CO-WRITER FOR LIFE. I  <3 YOU SO HARD. Thank you to April for her beta yet to come I love these boys and this story and it was worth the sleepless night and 5 hour energy drinks and possible an failed homework assignment. Hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> **Moey Says:** JFC, tbh. TBH. I didn't think we could pull this off, okay? Mostly because we had the vaguest of fucking VAGUEST plans for the sequel and what we wanted to happen. Also plot. LIKE. Moey doesn't know how to write plot you have no idea. So I'm glad we can blend in some from kickass t.v. shows and mix and match, okay? Even though I don't watch either show that this story vaguely references and I had to google a lot. HA.
> 
> Thank you to Kat. For hitting me with her words when I least expect it. One thing about writing with a partner is, you don't know the exact detail of how the story will play out when they write it. So when you read it for the first time, it's like being a fan of your own fucking story and flailing like a loser fangirl and crying over it like I did. Heh. And those were a lot of the parts Kat wrote so thank you! Er. There were definitely a lot sleepless nights. 
> 
> TO FUCKING YAEL (solostrightnow). YOU GUYS DON'T EVEN KNOW. SHE FUCKING MADE THAT TRAILER WITH ONLY THE EXTREMELY DETAILED OUTLINE WE GAVE HER. Do you have any idea how much RESEARCH she put into that trailer? Re-watching a crap ton of Luke/Noah eps, as well as other movies and shows she knew nothing about to put this all together? A TON, a TOOOOOONN. She is a fucking ROCKSTAR. And tbh TBH, we wrote a lot of our story around her trailer. That's how amazing it is. And it's definitely more epic and better than our story, so if you all don't give her a crap ton of love and comments on it I will pee on everything you love.
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH, YAEL. Especially for putting up with our last minute and dumb asses. Bless your vidmaking skills, bless your brain, bless your talent. THANK YOU.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the story!


End file.
